


The Next Rising Sun

by sakuplumeria



Category: Saiyuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beaches, Coping, Dreams vs. Reality, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Salt Farming, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:01:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuplumeria/pseuds/sakuplumeria
Summary: Two months. Genjo decided to spent his two months vacation at a hotel in a not-so-popular black sand beach. Either to cope with grief from losing his father or just to pass the time, he hoped that he did not get bored too soon. At the very least, his first encounter with a golden eyed salt farmer was unexpectedly not that boring.
Relationships: Cho Hakkai/Sha Gojyo, Genjo Sanzo/Son Goku, Hassan/Sharak Sanzo, Sha Gojyo & Son Goku
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Genjo met a certain golden-eyed salt farmer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kirathaune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirathaune/gifts).



> This story is much inspired by the works from my favorite author, Kirathaune. Here's a little thank you for always inspiring :)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

The calming wave poked his left ear drum as he walked through the black sand. The heat from the sun struck his exposed pale skin and it started to burn, but it seemed like he did not care. The slender blond man just continued to walk slowly along the beach.

Not more than an hour ago, Genjo Sanzo finished his weekly online class in a hotel room he rented for two months. He did not have that good of a session because the signal was so bad. He got disconnected a few times and he wanted to just stop at many points. Luckily for the organizer, Genjo did not have anything else to do, and connecting back to the class just seemed to be the only option at the time. So he did, even if it was a pain in the ass.

After the class finished, he stubbed his cigarette and tossed it to its piling friends before slamming his laptop shut and threw his body onto the bed. Lazily, he picked up his phone and found an unread message.

_Oi, don’t work your ass too much. We have a damn two-months vacation so just chill, come here to the beach with me and Hassan. It’s great here._

Of course it had to be his coworker who happened to have the same surname as him, Sharak Sanzo. She was in the same creative team with him in DeSignbutsushin, a graphic design agency. And Hassan? The loyal guy was working in the production division in the same agency. Genjo had no idea whether those two became a couple before or after working together, and he absolutely did not give the slightest damn about it.

Sharak had invited Genjo many times to come with them to the beach and well, there he was, at _a_ beach, though probably not the same beach. The small island was not called The Island of the Gods without any reason. The mystical belief of the local people made the art and culture in the island exuberant. Surrounding the island were beautiful beaches, worthy of becoming the dwelling place for the gods. All of the beaches have their own uniqueness, which made the island a very famous tourist site. Genjo scowled at the thought. Tourists were just a pain in the ass, getting rid of nature and in time, the island would probably turn into chaos. Not that he cared much about it, though.

The wave got a little stronger and this time, the water came to his feet. Genjo lowered his gaze to look at a wavy pattern left by the wave. This particular beach was definitely unique, he thought. First most distinction was the black sand. The beach was near an active volcano and local people said the color of the sand came from the eruption or something centuries ago. And for the same reason, the beach was known to frequent earthquakes, making it a less popular tourist spot. The beauty under the sea was spectacular according to the internet, but Genjo thought it did not affect that much to the tourism aspect. Genjo had traveled to some beaches in the island, and Amed Beach was definitely less crowded and slower in pace.

It was just perfect for him. He admitted at heart that the place was beautiful and serene. He just hoped that it would not bore him that fast. And despite the better aspect of the place, that did not really explain why his father loved the place so much.

It had been two weeks, he thought. Flashes of a braided blond man attacked by a wild boar came to his mind again. Genjo shook his sweaty hair, trying to chase away the bad memories.

Even though his father always tried to invite him to the particular beach, it was not the sole reason he went there. He would not have traveled there if it was not because of the preposterous two months vacation, all because his ridiculous boss wanted to have a long vacation in other countries.

"Boooooring," the alto-nearing-bass voice of a wrinkled black haired woman who happened to be the boss in DeSignbutsushin was audible across the small rented space.

"Ah, Konzeon Bosatsu-sama, the cruise you've been waiting for will start sailing next month," old man secretary Jiro told her.

"Which one?" That lit the slightest curiosity out of the woman though her voice was still as lazy as fuck.

The old man narrowed his eyes to the brochure, "The one starting from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Reykjavik, Icelands. It's a one full month cruising."

"Damn!" Konzeon got up from her chair, "Now _that_ is _not_ boring. When will it sail?"

"Uhm, in a month," Jiro answered.

"Good," she then looked at all the employees in the room, "Bring your asses here, you lads!"

With that she announced the two months vacation starting in two weeks. Genjo had a hard time believing when his boss motivated them to speed up the last ongoing project which would end precisely in two weeks time. How the hell did she know that kind of details? Or maybe, his boss was actually not as lousy as she looked.

However eccentric she was, Kanzeon still brought many clients for them to work on. And those clients were always the ones with big names or even from other countries. In short, the workload was harsh, but Genjo found it rather okay as he could kill his boredness with work.

Genjo felt his skin burning hot as he looked faraway to the horizon. He should probably head back to the hotel. He turned around, and that was when he noticed it for the first time.

Tons of half-cut logs lined up neatly at one side of a-third-acre land. He was not aware of the outstanding view before, too occupied with his mind and focusing more on the sea. Amed beach was also known for salt farming, so maybe in the logs were salt which was currently sun-dried. In the middle of the rows, someone wearing a conical hat was _harvesting_ the product with some kind of a plastic shovel.

Curious, he walked to the rows of logs, noticing the out of tune hum of the shorter man as he got closer. Genjo stood at the opposite end of the log from the salt farmer.

Noticing the shadow, the salt farmer raised his head and automatically greeted him, “Welcome to Amed Beach! Here we have-” He stopped midway as soon as he opened his eyes and looked at his guest. Genjo raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you shine like the sun..." the salt farmer breathed.

“Excuse me?” The irritated voice came out from the blond. The shorter man gulped and bowed immediately, leaving the plastic shovel on top of the logs as he clasped his hands. “Oh man, ‘m so sorry for that! Didn’ mean to!” He hurriedly went to Genjo’s side. The blond man took a step back, but the brunette was faster in taking his conical hat off and put it on top of Genjo’s head. “There, the sun’s strong these days, an’ judging by the early sign of sunburn, ya probably didn’ wear any sunblock, did ya?” A wide grin showed at the brunette’s face.

“There’s no need for it,” Genjo grunted.

“Ya need it more than I do, that’s for sure,” The wide golden eyes were evident without the shadow of the conical hat. “Take it as an apology from me,” he smiled.

Genjo was feeling so much better by the shadow of the hat so he did not raise an argument. His eyesight had also improved behind the shadows of it. He could now see the young man clearly. Definitely younger than him, but the built muscle showed that he had been working hard for years. His tanned body also showed that he probably worked under the blazing sun. One thing that caught him the most were the golden eyes. It was the first time for Genjo to encounter such beautiful, energetic, living golden eyes.

“So lemme continue, here we have Amed Salt,” The brunette took a handful of salt from a log and the seawater drained through calloused fingers. “The salt farming process is a heritage, passed from generation to generation for centuries. We used to offer this to the king back in the 16th century.”

“What’s so special about it?” Genjo took a pinch of salt from the farmer’s hand and tasted it.

“Hmm, tastes incredible, yeah?” The brunette licked his lips at the view. Looking at the glistened lips made Genjo’s belly stirred. “But that’s not all. Ya see this land? The process of producin’ that salt was long and complicated,” the brunette waved his hand to the land behind him.

The logs were lined up closest to the sea. Behind them were a total of sixteen square patches of soil. At the center of each four patches were some kind of giant funnels. There was a small stilt house and a garden at the other end, connecting the salt farming land with the main road.

“First, we pour seawater and work on the soil. Then we use the soil as an ingredient ta filter the seawater. See those funnels? We use that ta filter and purify the salt in the seawater, separate it from dirt and sand and things we don’ wanna eat,” the brunette kept on pointing things as he explained. “After the seawater is filtered, we dry ‘em in these logs,” he finished with a proud smile.

Genjo looked at the whole land again, finding two people beside the stilt house. A honey blond woman with two low ponytails and a shorter pale blond man. The male was probably a teenager.

“Are they?” he jerked his thumb towards the other guests.

The brunette followed the direction of the thumb and gasped, “It’s time already? ‘m sorry I gotta go.” His quick pace halted after a few steps and he turned back, “By the way, I don’t know your name yet.”

Genjo crossed his arms, “Genjo Sanzo.”

The brunette pondered for a while and then looked at him in the eyes, “Can I call ya Sanzo?”

“Whatever you want,” Genjo hmphed. It was not like anyone had ever called him that before, but he guessed he really did not mind.

“‘Kay, see ya later, Sanzo!” The brunette waved and grinned widely before sprinting towards the main road.

* * *

The hotel he was staying at was directly beside the salt farming land, but the hotel was broad and his room was at the farthest side from it. Luckily, the restaurant and bar was near the land and there was a gap on the wall which gave the opportunity to look at it.

It was late in the afternoon when Genjo sat at one of the restaurant tables, smoke in hand. From his current seat, Genjo could see a glimpse of the salt farming land. There was no sign of anybody in it. Of course the process of salt farming had ended in that late hour, but it did not stop Genjo from staring at it while he still could. The sun was setting and soon the land would be pitch black as it got no light.

“Well, well! Look who’s here,” a familiar voice came near him. Genjo closed his eyes and sighed, not wanting to make a tiring conversation with the over teasing red haired staff. He met him the day before when ordering beers. After giving the orders, the staff started teasing with him and inviting him to clubs, saying that he had a beautiful face and would attract so many girls, which meant more fun. Yeah, fun for the idiot, Genjo thought. Such activities were mundane and meaningless to him.

The long red haired man sat at the opposite chair, noticing the tropical mixed juice. “Sanzo-sama not into beers tonight?”

Genjo opened his eyes lazily, “You not wearing your uniform?”

“I’m not working today, just a plain ol’ customer.” The red haired lit a smoke, “And I have a hot sexy name, you know. It’s Sha Gojyo.”

Genjo did not respond and his gaze was back at the land again.

“Why you look at the land so much, have a sudden interest in salt?” Gojyo blew smoke to the side. “Or maybe...” His red eyes glinting at violet ones, “You met a certain fresh young man?”

Genjo twitched at that. He wanted to punch himself for turning his gaze to the red eyes but it was too late. Of course the over teasing man would understand even his smallest gesture. Gojyo burst in laughter, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re attracted to Goku. He’s a real charmer, alright.”

Genjo just realized he never knew the farmer’s name. Was Goku the one he met before? He inhaled his smoke as flashes of the brunette coming back to his mind, “You know him?”

“Of course, he’s my best bud!" Gojyo’s smile seemed unbelievably genuine. “C’mon, let me tell you more,” he leaned his body and rested his elbows on the table.

Genjo had doubts towards the offer. Since the beginning, he knew his personality would clash with this redhead's. So, he was shocked at himself when he was actually eager to listen to him. Was it all because he wanted to know more about a particular salt farmer brat?

“I could use some beers,” the blond raised his hand to signal the waiter and their conversation began.


	2. Genjo let calloused hand bring him up to dance

The next morning, Genjo found himself walking to the salt farming land around the time Gojyo told him to. It was rather early in the morning, only a little past seven, but the sun had risen high enough to pierce his pale skin. At least his face was protected by the shadow of the conical hat. Also, following Goku's and later Gojyo's same advice, Genjo reluctantly used sunscreen all over his skin. His scowl deepened with the uncomfortable greasiness on his entire body.

He snorted and decided to think about what Gojyo told him the night before. In short, Goku had three strong characters. A hard worker, a lover of nature and culture, and a family man. Gojyo had told him a bit about Goku's background. Parents divorced not long after his little brother was born, and they left both children behind as they went to find new lives. Left with no other option, young Goku had to work to survive. Not only for himself but also for his younger brother.

Gojyo himself became an orphan after his older brother killed their mother. To Genjo's amusement, the redhead seemed to be relieved rather than sad when he told the unfortunate tale.

And so, as neighbors and friends, both kids knew what happened to the other party and realizing that both went through the same shit, they became so much closer. Goku stopped going to school and worked his ass off, while Gojyo continued his education as his older brother made a living for him too. Nights spent with Goku sharing his work life and Gojyo sharing what he learned became a routine. In time, they became best buddies, or so the redhead said.

Genjo was not yet convinced to believe all the stories he had heard, but one thing proved to be true. He saw a familiar body with a conical hat standing on top of one bamboo weaved funnel. Genjo looked around and found no one else was in the field. He touched the edge of his conical hat, adjusting it to the direction of the sun, and walked closer to the particular filtering system.

"Sanzooo!" A bright familiar voice sent chills down his body even with the hot temperature. It was weird, someone calling him Sanzo instead of Genjo, but the blond man unexpectedly found it to be okay. He even felt like it was _supposed_ to be that way.

Raising his hat a bit, Genjo found the dazzling wide smile on the youthful face. The salt farmer knelt on one knee and held out a hand to his guest.

In front of him was a log that was leaning up to the gigantic filtering system, which Genjo concluded was the path leading up to where the brunette was.

It was bizzare for Genjo to be interested in things like this, salt or heritage or literally anything. But there he was, _wanting_ to go up and join the handsome youth on top. Maybe he did because he had nothing better to do, or so he thought. In the end, he just grabbed the tan strong hand and walked up with the help of the log.

Goku pulled just a little too hard that Genjo crashed into the brunette quite brutally. The blond’s free hand gripped a muscled shoulder by instinct and the collision with the taller man made Goku's conical hat fall. They froze for a second, golden eyes looked up to violet ones, hands still intertwined and bodies pressed too close.

Goku broke the silence first by clearing his throat, "Sorry for that." He averted the violet gaze, trying to hide a blush and took the chance to pick up his fallen hat, releasing the pale hand in the process.

"No harm done," Genjo took a step back and looked under his feet. They were both on top of the upside down conical shape of the filtering system and to Genjo's surprise, was bigger than he thought. The sturdy soil he was standing was wide enough to take on four to five adults.

The farmer took a closer look at the blond man and grinned, "Don't worry, it won't topple or anythin'."

Genjo tched and frowned, “Don’t point out things you don’t know.”

The insult did not put fear in the brunette, rather it made the grin turn into a smile. “If you’re wonderin’ ‘bout the material, it got lots of layers inside! This top layer is the soil from those patches,” Goku pointed to the four square patches of land surrounding them. “They’re mixed with sea water and dried for four days before going here,” he continued.

“So, this is new?” Genjo looked at the soil below his feet again. “Yep, just got ‘em up,” Goku nodded with satisfaction before continuing, “Below that are dried coconut leaves, soil, rocks, an’ sand.”

While explaining, Goku started to walk, or rather stomp, on the soil. He stomped hard with his right foot and then tiptoed with the left, moving clockwise as he established a rhythm. Genjo was forced to move forward as well, trying to keep himself at the exact opposite of the shorter man. “Follow my steps,” the brunette’s body wiggled along with the rhythm.

Able to play musical instruments, Genjo did not have a hard time following the rhythm, even though his moves were stiff. Right, left, right, left, and in a moment the blond got a good grasp of what he was doing. “You’re good at this,” the brunette smiled widely at the taller man.

“What are we doing, exactly?” the blond managed to ask between breaths. It was not a heavy workout, but the foreign heat made Genjo tired much faster than usual. Goku just smiled, his steady breathing told Genjo that the younger man was used to this. “The soil needs ta be more solid for the filtering system to work, so we’re kinda pressin’ it down. Try movin’ more to the edge,” so they did.

After a few minutes, Genjo’s lungs started to get used to the pace and he actually felt better as his adrenaline coursed through his body. “Are there any other farmers besides you?”

“Of course! But they have other jobs too, so our schedules don’t always match,” Goku’s voice got lower by the end of the sentence. “I hope they don’t really quit.”

Hearing the negative tone, Genjo frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Ya know, this whole beach used ta be salt farmin’ land back then. But people from town came, built villas and hotels and all, and now this is the only land left.”

“What about the farmers?”

“They start sellin’ their land and work for those villas and hotels. Ya know, easy money. I think there’s only twenty, or even ten left?” Goku stuck his fingers out as he started counting, “Me, Homura and Rinrei, who else... Oh, there’s also Hakkai and Gojyo helping on the business side. Hakkai helps _a lot_ with administration and Gojyo sells ‘em to places he works for. You probably meet him if you stay at one of the hotels, he works in _lots_ of them.”

“That pervert red haired guy?” Genjo scowled.

“See, ya met‘im already!” Goku laughed brightly, “Yeah, that’s him alright! He’s my best bud!”

The lively face suddenly turned serious, “Wait, he didn’ do anything to ya, did he? I mean, I’ll punch him if he did somethin’ ya don’ want.”

Genjo smirked by the idea of Goku taking Gojyo down. But, his mind was more focused on one more important thing, Goku and Gojyo were _genuinely_ best friends. He felt like he could really trust all the things he heard from the redhead after all.

“Nah, I’m good,” Genjo answered.

“That’s nice ta hear, well, ya know how he does,” Goku chuckled.

Genjo could not agree more to that.

“So yeah, guess there’s not many farmers left,” Goku continued their previous conversation, “Ya saw Rinrei yesterday, the woman with ponytails? And the boy next to ‘er was my brother, Nataku.” Genjo saw the golden eyes become livelier when he told about how hard working his little brother was on his studies. A family man indeed, another part of Gojyo’s statement checked.

After a while, Goku moved slowly towards the center and Genjo followed. When they were close enough, Goku held the blond’s hand gently and moved them up and down following the rhythm. “Ya know, many people call this the salt dance,” the golden eyes looked up towards violet ones as he grinned, “It’s usually done by couples, tho.” Unable to make much effort to reply, stomping like that for half an hour almost made him reach his limit, Genjo snorted and let his hand be led by the strong young man.

They stomped together for another minute and finally Genjo felt a squeeze on his hand. He instinctively moved slower and finally stopped. Goku nodded and said, “Should be good ta go.”

The brunette helped Genjo down the log carefully. After making sure the blond landed perfectly, Goku’s grin was back and he suddenly sprinted towards the stilt house without releasing the pale hand. Even when both men already sat at the edge of the bamboo floor, their hands were still intertwined. The side facing the sea where they sat did not have any handrails or anything, making the space a bit wider. Their conical hats were already stacked beside Goku. Their feet were hanging down and their body slumped backwards, free hands keeping their weight as they tried to catch their breaths.

“That was good exercise!” The brunette laughed brightly. “Hunh,” Genjo was still having a hard time to breathe. Goku turned to look at the man beside him, “Wow, you’re really red, Sanzo! Lemme bring ya some water.”

Genjo did not really care about anything at that moment, he just wanted to fill his lungs with more air.

“Heya Sanzo, ya can let go now,” the playful voice made the blond man widen his eyes in shock. Genjo came to awareness that he was the one locking their hands tightly. “Fuck,” he released the calloused hand and only when Goku walked away he realized that he actually did not mind holding the tanned hand.

Genjo exhaled deeper, looking far into the sea. It was definitely hot outside and he was glad for the shadow of the bamboo roof above him.

The sound of ice clinking told Genjo that the brunette was back again. “So, ya here for vacation?” Goku plopped down and offered the iced water.

“Some sort,” Genjo took the glass and gulped the content down. “My boss _graciously_ gave us two months holiday.”

“Damn, that’s sweet!” Goku beamed.

“Not really,” Genjo lay down and closed his eyes. Goku followed and lay beside him.

“So, why here to Amed beach?” Goku asked again.

“Pops always urged me to come here, but I never did,” Genjo started, “Now he’s gone and I had the time. So why not?”

Goku frowned. “Whaddaya mean he’s gone?” His voice sounded worried.

Genjo rarely talked about his life, moreover about his dad. But there he was, laying down on the edge of a stilt house at the beach, ready to talk about everything with a young man he just met the day before.

“Dad’s a silly man, but he was also wise and caring. Two weeks ago, we went to the mountain to paint. Well, he painted while I just enjoyed nature. It was nice, ‘til a goddamn boar chased us and struck him dead.”

“Man, I’m sorry for your loss,” Goku replied genuinely, “Ya okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Genjo’s gaze went to the blue sky, “Hmph, I probably go here to try and feel what he felt. He went here a lot, saying that it’s lovely and all.”

“Really?” Goku lifted his head and supported it with his arm, “What’s he like? Maybe I know him.”

Genjo looked at the bamboo ceiling above him and pondered, “Blond, long braid, cheerful, dumb faced. Can’t miss it.”

“Hmmm,” Goku’s lower lip protruded as he thought, “Weird, I don’t remember anyone like that. But it can’t be, cos I know all people here and I guide most of the tourists that come. If he’s here that often like you said, I must’ve seen him somewhere.”

“You a tourist guide? No wonder you’re so fluent when you explain the salt,” Genjo stared at the brunette with a smirk.

“Can’t live with only salt farming,” Goku returned the smirk.

“And why not?” Genjo asked.

“Well, we can only farm salt in the summer. Rain ruins everything,” Goku’s pout returned.

“I see, so you’re a tour guide in the rain season,” Genjo concluded.

“And also a fisherman. Fishing is better in the rain season too. Well, I guide and fish in every season in every chance, like yesterday when ya came,” Goku grinned.

“So you always do this to everyone that comes, talk with them and get them drinks?” Genjo raised an eyebrow.

“Not everyone but sometimes yeah, most of them leave after they hear enough of Amed salt and buy stuff. Tourists like you who stay and tell about themselves are rare,” Goku’s eyes sparkled, “An’ I’m glad ya do.”

Genjo snorted.

“So yeah, if your pops went here often, I’m sure we met somewhere,” Goku’s grin was back.

“Maybe that small brain of yours failed you,” Genjo smirked.

“Nah, I’m confident with my memory,” Goku answered, “Maybe your pops went to another beach.”

Genjo sat up and shook his head, “No, I remember he clearly said Amed beach this, Amed beach that, over and over again.”

Goku sat up too, “Alright then if you’re so sure, lemme ask my friends about it. Someone must’ve met him.”

“Suit yourself,” Genjo made a challenging look.

“Right, guess I must get ready to go again,” Goku stood up and held out a hand. Genjo took the hand and got to his feet. Their eyes suddenly locked to each other. Goku felt a tingling sensation as they shared a few moments in heated silence.

“Wanna join me fish tomorrow?” He finally said.

Genjo raised an eyebrow, “When?”

“Real early, like about three thirty,” Goku grinned.

“Sure, why not,” Genjo could not believe he agreed to it that quickly, but it was too late to take it back.

“Sweet! I’ll find you at the beach tomorrow,” Goku smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found [this wonderful blog post](https://almostitalian.blog/2019/10/01/amed-and-agung-bali/) about Amed Beach where this fic is based on. There are so many pictures to check out, the black beach complete with the active mountain in the background, salt farming land and local fishing boats. How I miss going there...


	3. Genjo went fishing with Goku

“Watch your step, Genjo,” the braided blond man said with his signature smile.

“I got this,” young Genjo grunted and stepped on a muddy rock. He slipped forward, but before his body touched the ground, a strong hand grabbed his arm.

“Why don’t you believe me?” the old man gave a worried look instead of an angry one. Another strong hand grabbed under his other arm and Genjo was suddenly up in the air. “Hey, put me down!”

The old man chuckled and put his child down the dry soil, “I’ve slipped many times there. I don’t want you to follow my wrong steps.”

Genjo patted his arms and looked up to the brown eyes behind the chin length golden bangs, “Okay, fine, I’ll be careful next time, dad.”

Koumyou was a rather well-known painter, and from time to time he went to the forest or beach or some other places to get inspiration. Genjo always refused to join his dad’s excursions at first, until one day he gave up. Then, much to his dad’s satisfaction, the young boy found that the short trip was actually not that bad. Since then, his only child always joined when the painter wanted some inspiration.

They were currently hiking up a mountain through the usual path behind their house. Genjo rather liked this particular spot they were heading because the area had many big smooth rocks where he could lay his body down. Moreover, the spot was also surrounded by big old trees, creating the perfect roof for his peaceful naps.

They reached the usual spot and Koumyou set out a mat for them to sit and have brunch. Genjo had not yet seated, his head looked up to the sky. Koumyou noticed the pack of flying birds Genjo was looking at and smiled, “The birds are migrating to the North again.”

“Mm,” Genjo hummed, letting his father know that he was listening.

“I wonder who decided that birds are free. Even though they can fly as they desire, if there isn’t a place to land... or if there isn’t a branch they can rest their wings, they may even regret having wings to fly.”

Genjo frowned. His father sometimes said deep things he could not comprehend, such as this one. He turned to look at the old man, “What are you saying? I don’t get it.”

Koumyou just smiled like the usual, “Even though our family is not perfect, I’m glad I have you. You’re my home, Genjo. Goudai too.”

Genjo’s thoughts went to an enormous guy with wavy black hair. Uncle Goudai. He met this man he called uncle a few times before, but he did not have any idea where he actually lived. Probably in another city or even in another country. The last time he met him was a year ago, perhaps? The whole thought did not sit with him. How can someone far away could be considered as home? Young Genjo really did not understand. He closed his eyes with a sigh.

When he opened them again, the violet eyes were looking up to the ceiling in his hotel room. Genjo sat up and went to light a cigarette. The image of the braided man still lingered in his head and Genjo knew it was not good for his mental health, but the sorrow was still too much. He exhaled a lungful of smoke and wondered if it was really a good idea to spend his vacation here in Amed beach. He might reminisce about his father even more and feel worse.

Genjo looked at his phone. 03:03.

Well, he would be fishing for the first time in his life in another thirty minutes, so he turned off the alarm which was supposed to ring in another 15 minutes or so, finished his cigarette and got up.

It was totally dark at the beach. Genjo was reluctant to bring his phone, knowing the risk that it might fall and everything, but he was glad he did it in the end. Not knowing the exact meeting spot, he walked slowly with the guidance of his phone’s light.

“Sanzo!”

He heard his name being called out and spontaneously directed his phone to the source.

“Hey, the light’s too strong,” Goku shielded himself from the sudden bright light. Genjo turned the light off and tucked it in the pocket of his shorts. 

Before he could do or say anything, Goku took his hand and led him with ease. It was not that far when Goku stopped. “Wait here,” Goku released the pale hand and went ahead.

Genjo’s sight slowly adapted to the dark and he saw the boat Goku was working on. He saw the unique boat before. The body was slim and enough for only about three adults. The boat was attached to bamboo stabilizers on each side, giving an impression of having wings.

“Sanzo,” Goku’s eyes and teeth were shining in the dark, “Get in the boat.”

Genjo nodded by instinct, forgetting for a second that Goku could not see it. He went to the boat and touched the side of it. It was pretty high, about his waist, and he had to make some effort to get in.

There was nothing much inside the shell of the boat. At both ends were some waist-high wooden boards where one can sit. But looking at the small size of them, Genjo rather stood and leaned to it than sitting on top of it. There was a machine at one end of the boat and he thought that Goku might operate it, so he decided to stand near the opposite end.

“Hey, Goku!”

Both Genjo and Goku turned their heads towards the voice.

“Gojyo! Just in time!” Goku beamed.

Oh no, Genjo thought. He absolutely did not expect to meet Gojyo there. He hoped the red haired man did not notice him in the dark, but he really could not do much about the exceptional sight of the local people.

"Oh ho ho, so you're fishing with our pretty tourist here," Gojyo grinned and slammed the back of the shorter man.

"Sh-shut up, Gojyo."

Hearing Goku’s stutter, Genjo could not hold a smirk. He swore he would have seen the blush if he could really see.

Gojyo's laughter went to one side while Goku's footsteps went to the other. They both pushed the  _ wings _ of the boat with equal strength and soon Genjo felt he was already on the sea.

"Thanks, bud," Goku splashed through the water and got up to the boat.

"Have fun, dude," Gojyo’s laughter echoed for some time.

Inside the boat, Genjo stood in silence while Goku paddled, making the boat deep enough for the propeller to work. When it did, the sound was earsplitting, but soon it was partly blown away by the wind.

Genjo closed his eyes, feeling the strong breeze and sometimes the splashing seawater. It was unbelievably refreshing and somehow his drowsiness and gloominess disappeared along the way. Genjo opened his eyes and looked up. The morning glow started to brighten the sky and shove the stars away.

Genjo turned around and did not have a hard time seeing the youth. Goku was standing up on the wooden board and holding some kind of plastic cylinder in one hand. The brunette unrolled a nylon string out from the coil and dropped it to the water gradually. Genjo noticed the shining beads that were attached to it, regularly spaced apart. “What’s that?” He could not help himself to ask.

“This?” The brunette held the cylinder a little higher, “It’s fishing bait. With this we catch lotsa small fish.” Goku continued to unroll the string until the roll was entirely used up. He then hooked the cylinder to a pole and turned the engine off. With practiced movements, he sat down on the tiny board at the end of the boat.

Genjo was more than grateful when the roaring sound finally disappeared. He leaned against the other board and crossed his arms, “Is it hard to do these things?”

“What, you mean the many jobs?” Goku leaned his body forward. Genjo’s nod made him continue, “Well, of course it’s hard, but it’s cool. I get money an’ support Nataku. I can live and enjoy things. I really like it here, it’s my home.” Goku grinned proudly.

“Of course it is,” Genjo sighed, “You live here since birth.”

“That’s not true,” Goku’s eyes got wide and full of energy, “‘m born in the west part of the island, actually, but when I was still young, my family moved here. At first, I really hate it here, I mean, just look at the ugly black sand. Every beach on this island has golden or even white sand, but black?” Goku literally stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“But well, I grew up here,” the golden eyes gained their spark again, “An’ one day I went ta other town and went ta their beach and you know what? I missed the black sand!” Goku laughed brightly.

“That’s the first time I realize that my home is here,” Goku toned down, “I love it here. The black sand, the earthquakes, my friends, my jobs. I can meet a lot of people, sometimes cool ones like you!” He smiled.

Genjo thought he was supposed to feel moved or something, but no, what came to his mind was that it was ridiculous. Goku had a terrible life, and the word terrible itself was a total understatement. His parents dumped him  _ and _ his little brother, his fucking toddler brother. With a little bit of math, Genjo figured that Goku might have not reached ten at that time. How could someone with a dreadful life be so energetic? So lively? So... strong?

“Hey look, the sun’s risin’.”

Genjo was pulled back to reality with the comforting voice. He looked up to see brilliant golden eyes looking deep to the direction of the sun. The youthful face currently did not have the usual jitter, but it was calm and peaceful.

“It’s my favorite, enjoyin’ the rising sun,” Goku took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Genjo was at loss for words. He felt all the negative thoughts in his mind washed away by the gust of wind which was currently making their hair flutter. Genjo exhaled a deep breath and gave in. Turning his head to face the sunrise, he admitted that the view was indeed spectacular. He could see the horizon, where the sky met the land on his right and the ocean on his left. With thin clouds gathering above the rising sun, there was a grandiose display of upwards crepuscular rays. The fact that he was far away from the land and other human beings intensified the feeling of oneness with nature. Genjo inhaled the fresh air and closed his eyes again, trying to take in the serenity in the presence.

Goku, on the other hand, just finished his meditative state and turned to look at the blond man. His golden eyes flickered once he saw him. Genjo’s hair fluttered gently and it shone brilliantly under the majestic radiance. The usual furrows were not there, and Goku gaped when he saw the end of Genjo’s lips slowly curved up. “You’re really beautiful, Sanzo,” he whispered to himself.

Genjo heard the voice but could not really hear the words. That being said, he still directed his face at his companion.

Without any response from the brunette, Genjo started a topic. “So, you’re selling the fish we're gonna get today?”

“ _ If _ we managed to catch them,” Goku lowered his leg and stood on the inside of the boat, “Honestly, it’s quite difficult to fish in this season. Usually, there are many fishing boats around here, but today it’s only us, probably.”

“Then why even bother fishing in the first place?” Genjo put a hand on his hip.

“We’re enterin’ a difficult season for fishin’, but sometimes I could still catch some. I just had a good feeling today, I guess.”

“You’re betting on your hunch...”

“Well yeah, and it’s true. Even though we don’t catch any fish at all, we’re still blessed with this beautiful weather... Just look at the rising sun! An’ um…,” pink colors suddenly painted the youthful face, “We... make a great time together.”

Genjo’s eyes shot up for a split second, but then it softened as he realized he did not have any arguments with the statement. The sunrise was superb. The sound of the wind and waves also soothed his nerves. Heck, he even did not remember that he just had an intense dream of the past just a few hours ago. His thin lips softened and the scowl gradually disappeared, creating an impression that he was smiling.

“Damn, you look stunning with that smile,” Goku’s words reached him this time.

Genjo knew he was  _ not  _ smiling, and that kind of comment usually annoyed him to death, but somehow he did not feel annoyed. Instead, it made him feel all tingling and hot inside. The golden eyes were fixed on him, burning hot and hungry. Genjo did not dislike the idea of where things were going and his face slowly went smug.

“What?” That one word surprisingly came out in such a teasing tone.

Goku’s eyes turned a shade darker, “Nah, I just thought-” He hesitated for a moment, but Genjo’s raised brow made him continue. “I wanna kiss ya so bad,” Goku said in a low voice.

The blond man tilted his head and turned the gaze back with the same intensity, “What’s stopping you?”

Goku could not believe his luck, and he certainly would not let it pass by. He stepped forward and slid his hands up to cup Genjo’s cheeks. The shorter man stood on tiptoe and covered Genjo’s lips with his own. Once the plump lips touched his, Genjo felt a stir on his lower abdomen. Goku nibbled his lips all over and Genjo felt all the energy and life from the touches.

Being polite, the shorter man broke the kiss, “Wow, thanks for lettin’ me do that,” his genuine wide smile in place.

Dark violet eyes showed that Genjo was obviously not satisfied. The pale hand snaked to Goku’s back and brought him back up for another kiss. A fierce hungry kiss. Getting a positive response, Goku let his hands comb the soft blond hair and then pulled him even closer. “Mmmm,” Goku hummed and pressed his body to the taller man. Arousal surged Genjo’s body at the feeling of an excited bulge below. He slid his tongue and the brunette complied by parting his lips. They explored each other with much passion until the need for some air arose.

Panting heavily, Genjo rested his forehead on Goku’s. Their arms were still entangled with each other's bodies. “Fuck,” he breathed.

“Yeah, that was fuckin’ awesome,” Goku chuckled. They stood there for a moment until their breaths steadied. Goku slowly turned his head to the direction of the sun and exhaled, “We should head back.”

By the time they reached the beach, Gojyo was already there. After Genjo got out of the boat, both men pushed the boat back to its original place. They did not catch any fish in the end, but Genjo felt nice and refreshed. He was not even starving for any cigarette. He just stood on the edge of the sea. He could hear Gojyo and Goku laughing from afar. Well, now he was certain that Gojyo did not lie when he told him that he and Goku were best buddies.

Soon, the laughter faded and the brunette joined him once again, “See, it’s real nice, right?” His smile rivaled the sun.

“Not bad, kid,” Genjo smirked.

“Hey, m’not a kid, I’m 24!” Goku pouted.

Genjo tilted his head and glanced at the shorter man. “Who would’ve guessed? I thought you’re underage.”

“Man, you’re mean,” Goku stuck his tongue out and joined the taller man to look at the sea, “Hey, ‘m gonna plow the land after this. Wanna join?”

“Nah, I’m getting back to sleep,” Genjo answered.

“Enjoyin’ our vacation, aren’t we?” Goku looked at the taller man. “That’s too bad, but that’s okay. Ya can always come here anytime and I’ll show you more!” He winked and then walked away.

Genjo’s gaze followed the brunette back to the salt farming land. He felt his belly stirred again and smirked. Maybe his vacation won’t turn as bad and boring as he thought.


	4. Why was everyone so eager about the salt?

Genjo had his lunch in the only restaurant in the hotel. Just after he finished half of the plate and lit up a cigarette, a dark haired woman with two high ponytails went up to him. “How do you like the food, Mr. Sanzo?” she said politely while taking the plates.

The blond man noted that the clothes she wore were more sophisticated than the other waiters serving him before. “It was okay,” he looked up to the waitress before finally adding, “You’re not one of the waitresses.”

“I was. Last year I got promoted. Please call me Yaone,” she put the stacked plates down the table beside them and went to grab something from her pocket. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to introduce you to the salt we use for our dishes. It’s special and only produced here.”

Genjo received the transparent plastic packaging and took a drag on his cigarette. The quality of the plastic was low and it was just stuck with a sticker, which was horrible news to his designer’s eyes. _Amed Salt,_ the only words in the sticker were made using word art from powerpoint application. He blew his dissatisfaction along with the smoke.

He turned the packaging around and saw the price. “Wow,” his eyes narrowed automatically. The price was incredibly high, about ten or even twenty times the usual salt. “What’s so special about the salt?” Genjo asked as if it was the first time he encountered the salt.

Yaone smiled and proceeded to explain, “The unique taste and texture comes from meticulous salt farming process, which is a heritage passed down from our ancestors. The whole process takes nine days and all done manually. If you are interested, you are mostly welcome to see the salt farming land just next door.”

“No need,” Genjo immediately answered. He already knew all the things Yaone just told him, and he would not disclose that he had been visiting the salt farming land for three days in a row already. Well, he did not actually go into the salt farming land that morning, but it was just the same for him. He had a feeling that he might know about the salt better than the polite manager. “Are there any other sizes?” He finally asked.

“Yes, it comes with various sizes. The hundred grams I gave you is the smallest size. What size do you want? I will bring it for you,” Yaone bowed a little.

Genjo thought for a second. He did not really want to buy the salt, all the more with the outstanding price. Yet, his mind flew back to the golden eyed salt farmer and all the rationality ceased from his mind. “Don’t bother, I’ll take this one,” he took some cash from his wallet and gave it to the woman.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Sanzo,” Yaone bowed again before taking the empty plates and went away.

Genjo took a moment to look at the rubbish packaging and sighed. Why would he even have the urge to buy the piece of crap? Not bothering the footsteps which were getting near him, the blond man lit up another cigarette.

“No way.”

Genjo twitched when he heard the voice. It couldn't be, he thought, but his sharp auditory senses told him exactly whom the voice belonged to. “Sharak,” he confirmed without looking back.

When the footsteps stopped right beside him, his Marlboro pack was taken and the deep purplish haired woman lit a cigarette for herself. “That’s not very polite of you, coming here without telling me,” Sharak plopped down beside him. Soon, a man with a racoon hat joined them at the table.

“What’s the point?” Genjo blew a smoke, “I don’t even have a clue that you’re inviting me _here_.”

“Really, now?” The woman knocked the table with her elbow. “Didn’t we tell him about Amed?” She looked at the guy next to her.

“Honestly, I don’t remember we told him specifically about Amed,” he answered truthfully.

The woman grinned, “My bad then, but hey, it’s a nice place, right?” She turned to look at Genjo, noticing the pack of salt on the table. “You even bought the salt already!” Her laughter was low and loud.

“The design’s a fucking crap I had to buy it,” Genjo replied with a smirk.

“You got that right,” Sharak continued her laughter to satisfaction.

“Sharak! Hassan!” Came another male voice and jingling sounds from behind them. Genjo saw Sharak and Hassan stand up to greet the dark tanned guy. The new guy had such long red hair, even longer than Gojyo’s. Other characteristics Genjo noted were three claw-like stripes on his face, far too many golden bands covering his neck and wrists—which Genjo assumed were the source of the noisy jingles—, and the distinctive shining triangle-shaped golden earrings.

“Kou, ‘been a while! How’s things going here?” Sharak gave a friendly squeeze.

“As you can see, the hotel’s doing well,” the man said. His burgundy eyes then landed on Genjo, “How nice of you, bringing another customer again.” He offered a hand to the blond man, “Kougaiji.”

“Genjo Sanzo,” Genjo stood up and shook the hand, “I come here on my accord even if we are acquainted.”

“That’s even better,” Kougaiji smiled, “And I see you bought the special salt already. You should see the farming land beside our hotel. They only farm on summers, so you come at the right time.”

Even if he understood, Genjo was becoming rather annoyed with all people telling him about the salt or inviting him to see the salt farming land. It was not their fault for trying so hard to promote their so-called specialty product. “You guys are too fucking ambitious with the salt,” Genjo said with a grunt.

Kougaiji chuckled and sat at the last vacant seat at the table. “Well, Yaone probably told you about the process already, but you see, even though it’s so special, the salt farming is kinda dying,” his voice turned serious.

“Really?” Genjo raised an eyebrow.

“It’s true,” Sharak continued, “They need some special soil to farm the salt, which is found along this beach and probably up to the mountain, but it’s in this area only. Not even the neighborhood village has them. And as you can see with your own eyes, this beach is turning into a tourist spot nicely. Many farmers sold their land to get instant money.”

“That and the fact that they can only farm salt in summer. Rationally, tourism business is far more promising,” Hassan added.

“Are you supporting the salt farmers?” Genjo pointed his cigarette to Kougaiji.

“Of course,” Kougaiji crossed his arms. “Well, I came here and knew about the salt after my mom finished building this hotel. You see those two stories building on that end?” He pointed at the hotel area nearest to the salt farming land. “They’re actually blocking the sun from the land and I feel bad for that. I wish I came here earlier so I could change the plans, but it’s too late now. What we can do is buy the salt for our daily use and sell them to our customers,” the red haired man explained.

Genjo’s silence made Kougaiji elaborate further, “Goku’s one of the salt farmers left. He plows the land beside this hotel. He needs the sunshine to dry the soil for the farming process in the mornings and to dry the salt itself in the afternoons. Now, my building kinda blocks the afternoon sunshine, so it makes it longer for him to harvest the salt.”

Genjo nodded and tapped the ash off his cigarette. “So, they only sell the salt here in Amed?”

“Only for the smaller size package,” Kougaiji’s face went smug, “The unique taste actually suits the high class end better. In fact, they already have some five stars hotels as their loyal customer.”

“Oh really, now?” Genjo was quite surprised with the new knowledge.

“Wait, I’ll let you taste them yourself. Yaone, bring the tester plate!” Kougaiji shouted in the direction of the kitchen and soon the high-ponytailed woman was back with a tray. There were two containers of salt, one has white soft texture salt while the other has greyish coarse salt. There were also some slices of bread and hot sweet potatoes.

“Try both salt first and tell me if you taste any different,” the red haired man said. Genjo dipped his index finger to the white soft salt and tasted. After drinking some water, he did the same with the other one. Then, Genjo’s face frowned, “Can’t tell shit.”

Sharak laughed out loud by instinct, “I knew it! You can’t expect much from this slacker, Kou.”

“Mind your own business, you hag,” Genjo hissed.

“Happens to newcomers. It’s okay,” Kougaiji grinned. “One distinct difference is the aftertaste. Try the white soft salt and tell me if you can recognize the aftertaste.”

“Bitter,” Genjo said after tasting the mentioned salt.

“Yes!” Kougaiji’s burgundy eyes brimmed with excitement, “Now try the coarse salt.” The blond man did and he paused.

“I can’t taste the bitterness,” he finally said.

“Very good,” the dark tanned man crossed his arms and leaned back, “For whatever reason, the salt in this country was injected with iodium, producing the bitter aftertaste, but Amed salt’s different. They don’t inject shit and other nutrients from the soil also make the taste more to _umami_ than salty.”

Genjo grinded some of the coarse salt with his thumb and index fingers and looked at it keenly. He did not really get it. If the salt was that exquisite even the five stars hotel bought it regularly, why was the business dying? Knowing the continuous market and seeing that there are only a few salt farmers left, the blond man was also intrigued to find out how they made ends meet. Unfortunately, his mind was not that clear at that moment, remembering how early he had woken up. Desperate of not having the ability to think well, Genjo crushed the coarse salt and sighed.

“Thanks for the explanation,” Genjo said while standing up. “Imma go back to my room first, excuse me,” he took the package of salt and walked to his room.

Kougaiji was a bit shocked with the unexpected response. He was about to stand up when Sharak raised her palm, “Don’t worry about him, Genjo’s that kinda guy.” Looking at the serious eyes of the woman, the red haired man understood and sat back down again.

“Genjo! Let’s have a feast later,” Sharak shouted with her deep voice.

Genjo raised his hand before going into his room.

* * *

A familiar sound from a scooter made a certain man stop at whatever he was doing with the stack of papers on the desk. Soon, the door to his living room slash office opened and a bright grin from a long red haired man greeted him, “Yo, Hakkai, still doin’ your work?”

A polite chuckle ensued from the thin lips of the brunette with a monocle, “Yes unfortunately, the upcoming election consumes more time than I expected.” He sat back on his chair when Gojyo walked to his side and leaned on the desk.

“Oh? But you still have time for a nice catch up, don’t you?” The red haired tilted his head, his eyes glinting at the brunette.

“Depends on when and how long, I guess,” Hakkai smiled sweetly.

“C’mon, Kai,” Gojyo dropped his head, “You don’t wanna miss this sexy dude Goku’s been into.”

Hakkai crossed his arms and made a speculative look, “Now, that’s _news_. I hope this time it’ll work out. I don’t want Goku to experience the same thing again when he had to break up with the braided tourist girl.”

“Well~,” Gojyo rolled his eyes, “This guy’s a tourist too, actually.”

“You met him already?” Hakkai raised an eyebrow.

“Yep, he stays at Kou’s,” Gojyo answered.

“Right, I just remembered something,” the brunette fisted on his palm. “About Hazel, the owner of Goku’s land,” Hakkai’s face became serious, “He told me he’s planning to sell the land soon, and I don’t think he’ll accept Sharak’s offer to buy part of it. You don’t perhaps stumble into a person who wants to buy the land, do you?”

Cho Hakkai moved to Amed five years prior and both Gojyo and Goku were the ones who welcomed him, which was why he was exposed to the salt farming issues from the beginning. So, while he worked his ass off to grab a higher position in the government, he also took up the leadership role of the salt farming community. Doing all the administrative tasks, handling negotiations with partners and clients, and also connecting salt farmers with owners of the lands.

“Goddamn, I forget about that. Well, so far it’s just Sharak who’s interested,” Gojyo ruffled the back of his hair. “Hey,” he abruptly stopped his motion, “You can probably talk to Sanzo-sama about this.”

“I assume Sanzo is the _sexy_ guy you’ve been mentioning?” Hakkai said with an over polite smile.

Gojyo twitched at the way the brunette pronounced the word sexy with the peculiar smile. Behind the over polite gesture, he could feel Hakkai’s blazing jealousy. Something that both scared the shit out of him, and also highly aroused him. The intense green eyes belonging to the brunette escalated the blood flow to his groin. “Fuck, he’s nowhere as sexy as you,” Gojyo returned the gaze back. “But I’m serious about what I said. Really think you can talk to him about it somehow. It'll be worth the try, and it’ll be great for Goku if he owns something here. Just look at Sharak and Hassan and their fucking love nest.”

Hakkai chuckled at the earnest effort coming from his lover. Knowing the man inside out, the brunette completely understood Gojyo’s sincere brotherly concern for Goku. His eyes softened and a genuine smile made its way to his delicate face, “There’s no harm in giving it a shot. So when’s the time again?”


	5. With the right people, simple dishes became best

It was around six in the evening. Genjo was currently standing in the small garden beside the stilt house at the front side of the salt farming land, after being forced to come by the golden eyed salt farmer in the morning.

He did not know how on earth the brunette knew where his room was, but there the salt farmer was early in the morning, calling his name so loud he was forced to wake up. And when he woke up by force, his dark mood worsened. The blond man banged his door open, “Shut the fuck up, you noisy ape!” His violet eyes were full of rage.

“Sanzooo!” Bright golden eyes greeted him with enthusiasm, “Tis me, Goku!”

“I know who you are, moron. What the fuck are you doing _here_?” Genjo said between gritted teeth.

“M’sorry if I wake ya up,” Goku chuckled, his hand went up behind his head. “I just wanna invite ya for dinner!”

The scowl on the pale face deepened. “You. came here. at this hour. and wake me up. to invite me. to a fucking dinner?!?” Genjo growled.

“Um, yeah?” The brunette’s golden eyes were full of wonder. Poor Goku might not realize the burning rage yet. “I really wanna introduce ya to Hakkai, he’ll be there. An’ Gojyo too! It’ll be fun!” The young man grinned widely.

The wide smile somehow washed some of the lurking darkness away from the blond man. Genjo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember something else. Yes, Genjo heard the name Hakkai before. Sharak told him that Hakkai’s the one supervising the whole salt business. From the story, Genjo had a vision that Hakkai was a polite middle aged man. His frown deepened from the thought of having to socialize with an old man. The thought made the blond man dizzy and drowsy again. At that moment, he just wanted to get back to his room and sleep.

“Do whatever you like,” Genjo answered, ending the conversation.

“Sweet!!” Goku beamed, “Just come ta the house at the salt land at about six-ish. I’ll be there!”

So there he was. The sky was beginning to get dark and the blond man only noticed that there were not many street lights. The nearest to him was about three buildings far. There were no lights in the salt farming land behind him, and no garden lights. Genjo walked to the stilt house and noticed a lightbulb at the veranda, but of course it was turned off at the moment.

There was a sudden gust of wind which made him realize that even though the day had been hot, the night breeze was indeed chilling. It reminded him of the breeze at the sea a few days before when he fished with the golden eyed salt farmer.

Genjo’s sharp ears caught a sound from a noisy motorcycle. He directed his head to the source of the sound and narrowed his eyes to have a better look. Without the headlights on and the helmet, Genjo could see the fluttering brown locks clearly. The remnants of the sunset’s radiance made Goku’s tanned skin glow. The vehicle went noisier as it got near and Genjo just realized that the roadster motorcycle was slightly too big for Goku’s body.

Goku parked near him and he literally hopped to get down. “Sanzo! Ya came,” he grinned widely while ruffling his own hair. The motion made Genjo’s belly stir. The urge to ruffle the brown locks was great, but his pride was even bigger. “You should turn the lights on,” he said nonchalantly.

Goku laughed, “Yeah, will do it next time.” He picked up the plastic bag tied up at the back of the motorcycle and walked into the garden.

“What’s that?” Genjo asked.

“Our food, of course!” Goku answered joyfully. The brunette stopped at a corner where there were piles of rectangle concrete blocks and coconut skins. Goku knelt and put down the plastic bag near him. Genjo peered over and saw fishes piling inside. He then saw Goku set up two concrete blocks apart and spread the coconut skins between them.

While the salt farmer worked on lighting up the fire, the blond man heard another bike coming over. When the engine was turned off near Goku’s vehicle, Genjo turned to look at their guests. Gojyo pulled his helmet off and tossed his hair. Following him was another brunette with a monocle. He was slightly shorter than the redhead, but if his assumption was true, then _Hakkai_ was so much younger than he had predicted. Goku easily confirmed his thoughts for him.

“Hakkai! Glad ya can make it,” Goku was now standing up and waving to the new guests.

The taller brunette gave a small laugh, “Goku, it surely has been some time since we feast like this.”

“Look who’s here already!” Gojyo’s red eyes glinted and one end of his lips curved up. He brought a huge bamboo basket to the veranda of the stilt house and put it on the bamboo floor. He turned the lights on and then walked towards Genjo. When he was close enough, he said in a lower voice, “I bet you can’t stand being away from Goku too long, can you?” He elbowed the blond man and laughed out loud. “Shut the fuck up, asshole,” Genjo’s violet eyes looked like they were ready to kill, but the carefree man just continued his bright laughter and walked towards Goku.

Carrying a bag made of fabric wrap, Hakkai walked towards the blond man and smiled, “You must be Sanzo. I’m Hakkai, nice to meet you.” He offered his free hand.

Genjo snorted before shaking the hand, “Genjo Sanzo.”

Hakkai smiled and then lifted his stuff with both hands, “Do you mind helping me prepare this?”

Judging by the huge basket Gojyo put down earlier and the size of Hakkai’s belongings, Genjo assumed that they would probably be rice and eating utensils. The blond man thought he did not have anything else to do, so he walked to the stilt house as an answer. “Thank you,” the brunette smiled politely. Hakkai put the fabric wrapped bag on the veranda while standing in the garden. The height of the floor of the stilt house was around their hips, so it was easier to arrange things from that position. Hakkai proceeded to lead the preparation while Goku and Gojyo grilled the fish.

“So, you’re in the salt community too?” Genjo asked.

“You could say that. I moved here some years ago to work for the government. I learned about the salt farming from those two,” Hakkai glanced at where Gojyo and Goku were, “and I came to believe in the salt, just as they do. I help around the administrative stuff.”

“I heard you’re more than just doing administrative work,” Genjo put down the last plates in place, “Rumors say you’re the chief or something.”

Hakkai chuckled at the remark and went to pour a drink. “That’s a little too much, but it’s true that I work on the higher level of the business,” he gave the glass of water to Genjo. “How about you? What brings you here?”

Genjo took the glass and leaned at the edge of the bamboo floor. “Vacation,” he answered briefly.

“I see, I hope you have a good time here,” Hakkai joined beside him. They watched the two cooks while enjoying the smell of the half grilled fish.

“Actually, my dad always encouraged me to build a villa here,” Genjo spoke suddenly.

Hakkai’s eyes slightly widened by the revelation. This tourist was giving a green light to his hidden mission. “Ah, that is a good idea. The scenery is great here and the people are nice,” Hakkai nodded in agreement, “I can help you with that. I’m in charge of the properties here as well. I can show you unoccupied lands or introduce you to people who want to sell theirs.”

“I haven’t decided,” Genjo shrugged, “but that’s nice to know.”

“Only,” Hakkai’s voice became serious, “If you really want to buy land and build a villa here, I will ask you not to disturb the salt farming business.”

Genjo looked at Hakkai and raised an eyebrow.

Hakkai returned his gaze firmly. “We have a law which allows people to build buildings up to a certain borderline. It will harm the beach if they cross it. But as you can see, many people broke the law and I still can’t do much with the power I have now. Those bastards will have their punishment once I get there,” he said calmly with a polite smile.

Genjo remembered his times walking alongside the beach. There were indeed some hotels which were built very near to the coastline, such as the hotel he was staying at. “Like Kou’s?” Genjo asked.

“Oh, you know Kougaiji?” Hakkai asked back.

“Yeah, I stay at his hotel,” Genjo answered honestly.

Hakkai nodded, “Like Kou-... his mother’s, to be exact. Lady Gyokumen was very demanding on building the hotel like that. I can’t really blame Kougaiji for it. He moved here after the hotel was finished and after I talked to him, he really regretted his mother’s doing. Well, he can’t do anything about that building which blocks the sunshine,” Hakkai pointed backwards to the two stories building with his thumb, “But he helps a lot in selling the salt for us.”

Genjo looked at the mentioned building, and then he looked at the land on the other side of Goku’s land, beyond where Goku and Gojyo were at that moment. There was quite a huge land, about twice Goku’s land. It was surrounded with walls and there stood a gazebo at the center. “What about that area, why don’t you guys farm salt there?”

Hakkai followed Genjo’s gaze, “Oh, that area belongs to the government. It was huge, but unfortunately the soil doesn’t suit for salt farming. We have to use special soil to be able to farm salt and that area doesn’t have that kind of soil.”

Genjo showed his understanding in a nod. Goku told him about the special salt they call ‘sari’ soil. It was special because the contents were different from other soil somehow. It had more nutrients, making the salt rich in flavor and nutrients, and the texture was more loose compared to other types of soil.

“Food’s ready!” Goku’s bright voice snapped Genjo from his thoughts.

“Come on, babes, I’m starving!” Gojyo brought a tray of piled grilled fish. Genjo’s eyes widened a bit at the number of fishes on the tray. There were probably dozens of them. Hakkai chuckled looking at Genjo’s reaction, “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll finish them all.” He followed the redhead up to the veranda.

They all sat on the bamboo floor with the food in the middle. After they all took their fish, Genjo started eating and his eyes widened once again. He was inwardly amazed by the taste of the simple dish. He remembered eating the same fish in Kou’s hotel a few times but it never tasted as good as this. “What did you do with the fish?” Genjo asked.

“Ya like it?” Goku’s smile was as bright as the sun. “We only salt ‘em!”

“You sure?” Genjo narrowed his eyes.

“What’s with the doubt, dude,” Gojyo elbowed him, “He’s telling the truth.”

Genjo looked at the bits of fish in his hand, “Damn, only salt,” he repeated the words to convince himself.

Time went by quickly as they ate and chatted. Shouts and laughter filled the chilling air with warmth. The conversation flowed easily, as if they had been close friends for ages. Even if he would not admit it, Genjo felt more relaxed and at peace with these strangers he just met less than a week than with his coworkers, or in fact, anybody else he had encountered in his life before.

He truly enjoyed watching the golden eyed salt farmer eat up his food like there was no tomorrow. The exciting movements from the young face and the loud slurps made his own mouth produce more saliva than it usually did. To his own surprise, he also enjoyed the company of the newest member, even if he was a little reluctant with the made up politeness, and he was getting used to the natural perverted laid-back personality of the redhead.

In a blink of an eye, all the fish were gone. The portion at Kou’s hotel was half a fish and Genjo had to push himself to eat it all up, so he could not believe he ate two whole fish himself that evening.

“That’s awesome!” Goku burped loudly.

“That goes without saying, dude. You ate seven of them. SEVEN!” Gojyo smacked Goku’s back.

Goku laughed brightly, “Did I? Can’t remember nothin’.”

“You eat the most, so you go wash the dishes there,” Gojyo grinned.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Goku answered, “At least you should help me, Gojyo!”

“He’s right, you did eat more than we did, Gojyo,” Hakkai smiled softly.

Gojyo and Goku stopped their motions at Hakkai’s voice. Gojyo knew there was another meaning in Hakkai’s smile. He sighed audibly and tapped Goku’s shoulder, “Alright, alright, I’ll help you out, kid.”

While Goku and Gojyo washed the dishes, Genjo and Hakkai went to sit at the edge of the bamboo floor facing the garden, both their feet dangling in the air. Genjo lit a cigarette and smoked.

“You know, you can also buy land here and let us work. We usually do profit sharing from the salt selling,” Hakkai started the conversation.

“Really?” Genjo looked at the salt farming land on his left.

“Yes, in fact, the owner of this land is going to sell it soon,” Hakkai explained, “Someone named Hassan has been eyeing this land for some time now, but it’s still on sale.”

“Hassan? Sharak’s Hassan?” Genjo confirmed.

“You know Sharak, too?” Hakkai’s eyebrows raised at Genjo’s knowledge.

“Yeah, they’re my coworkers,” Genjo said.

“I see,” Hakkai smiled, “Yes they wanted to buy half of the land, but the owner of the land hasn’t agreed to it. I guess he wants to sell it on one go.” Hakkai paused before continuing in a firmer voice, “This land is very important. It’s the biggest farming land we have. If it goes to the wrong hand, the result would be bad.”

Genjo felt Hakkai’s concern and judging from his tone, the blond man knew it was really serious.

“But the decision is yours solely,” Hakkai’s tone softened. He fetched his wallet and took a name card, offering it to Genjo, “Here, my name card. You can call me anytime.”

“No need for the cards,” Genjo took his phone and his thumbs danced on the screen, “Your number. I’ll save it now.” Hakkai smiled wider and started telling his number.

After Hakkai went away with Gojyo, Goku insisted on walking Genjo back to the hotel. It was almost totally dark with no street lights and Genjo was glad for the company. “Thanks for comin’, Sanzo. ’M glad I see ya get along with Hakkai, too!” Goku chuckled.

“Yeah, sort of,” Genjo looked up to the sky while they walked.

Goku followed his gaze and saw the bright Milky Way in the dark sky. No wonder the sexy tourist could not take his eyes off of it. “Wow, the stars shine brighter tonight,” Goku said in amazement.

“This is the first time I see it this clear,” Genjo replied.

They reached the front gate of Kou’s hotel. There was quite a big garden before the hotel buildings. “Ya want me to walk ya to your room?” Goku offered. “Nah, no need,” Genjo quickly replied. The lights from the hotel buildings gave enough light for him to walk with ease.

“‘Kay then.”

Genjo started walking, but Goku tugged at his shirts’ sleeve. “Sanzo,” Goku looked up to him.

Genjo stared back at Goku’s eyes. The golden irises reflected brilliance from the stars.

“We, um, meet again tomorrow?”

Oh how Genjo wanted to kiss that sweet face at that very moment, but he shook the feeling off. “Yeah, sure,” he answered.

A wide smile painted Goku’s handsome face. “‘Kay. See ya tomorrow then,” he let go of the sleeve. Genjo walked back to his room, the end of his thin lips slightly curved up.


	6. Goku wanted to support his bright lil brother

Goku closed the front door of his house and placed the motor keys on the table. The lack of curtain made moonlight shone the living room rather brightly. There was another soft luminescence from a laptop screen at the corner, giving more light to the pale face and pale blond hair of his one and only little brother.

“Nataku, ya told me it’s not healthy to see the screen in the dark,” Goku walked towards his brother.

“I turned the night mode on. Besides, the moon’s bright enough for my eyes,” Nataku answered without seeing him.

Goku rested one of his palm on the desk and the other on his waist, “Whatcha studyin’?” It was not an unusual thing to find Nataku studying this late, or at any time of the day either. He looked at the screen and saw a glimpse of video about coral reefs before Nataku paused it.

“I’ll have an exam in a week,” Nataku answered.

“Wow, really? That’s new, where you gonna apply to?” Goku’s golden eyes sparkled in the dark.

Nataku shrugged. “Well, not a real exam exactly.”

“Whaddya mean?” Goku tilted his head.

Nataku looked up at the pair of golden eyes of his brother’s, “It’s a mock exam. Found it on the internet. I’m gonna treat it as the real exam, as a preparation for next year.”

“Hee~,” Goku’s sparkling eyes told Nataku that his big brother did not really get it, but he was trying. “Ya mean, there’s a real exam next week and ya gonna do the mock one?”

Nataku leaned back on his chair with an amused face. Turned out his brother was not as slow as he thought. “That’s rare, you do understand,” he said with a teasing smirk.

“Hey, ’m not that dumb, ya’know?” Goku pulled a chair and sat down. “But really, why don’ ya just apply for the exam, I mean, for real?”

“Well,” Nataku lowered his gaze, “I don’t have the money and tomorrow’s the latest date to apply for the entrance exam, so..."

Goku was about to say something, but Nataku continued. “Even if I do, I don’t know how to pay for it. I need to have a visa, mastercard or PayPal or something. So yeah, I thought I could just try these mock exams. I can earn money to try the real one next year.”

Goku’s heart clenched. Nataku was a bright kid, and he had been working his ass off for his studies. When they counted their money a few years ago and realized that Nataku could not continue to go to high school, the blond teen worked up his way to learn about high school material in his school as well. One of the perks of living in the outskirts is that the teachers were fairly unoccupied, due to the small number of students. With a little bit of praises and glorification, Nataku made even the high school teachers teach him things.

Furthermore, luck was really on Nataku’s side as he met Rinrei in a competition a year ago. Once she knew that Nataku was not continuing high school, the ex-lecturer instantly decided to mentor the young boy with all she could. Left her job and went back to Amed with her husband to take care of their parents, she actually got plenty of time and she also did not want her brain to rot away. Nataku was only fifteen when they started, but Rinrei had given him materials for university’s first year and the bright teen did not have any trouble catching up.

Goku’s mind went back to the present. He knew they did not have that much money, even after he put in all his savings, but he decided that he would make his only brother succeed. “Tell me about the study ya wanna apply again,” he said firmly.

Nataku’s purple eyes went to stare at his brother. Realizing the seriousness from the golden eyes, he snorted and smiled. He went back to the laptop and opened a new tab. “I want to study earth and marine sciences. My goal is either these three universities,” the website banner showed a name of a university Goku recognized in an instant. “You know this university. It's the best on this island. It doesn’t have the specific study that I want, to be honest, but if I study here, I may be able to take a masters later. It’s the most affordable and not that far from here, hence my first choice.” Goku nodded approvingly and Nataku took it as a code to continue.

The blond teen moved to another tab, “Here’s my second choice. It’s a bit far from here, but it’s the nearest university which has the specific study that I want.” Goku looked at the website and noticed the foreign language used, “Where is it?” Goku asked. “If we go by plane, it would take an hour. Well, living there is costly, but I found out if I got accepted, I can do part time jobs. So, the only concern is the admission fee, which is _not_ cheap,” Nataku explained fluently. Goku was amazed at how keen Nataku had prepared for his next study. “Okay,” Goku was glad there were latin alphabets under the complicated logogram. _University of Chang’an,_ Goku recited in his heart. “What’s the last choice?”

“Umm,” Nataku frowned, “It’s actually out of league, so just forget about it.”

“No, no,” Goku slammed his palm to the desk instinctively. Startled by his own action, the brunette retreated his hand to the back of his head, “I mean, ya can still tell me, Nataku.”

The blond teen hesitated for a moment, but finally he nodded. “Okay, here’s my last choice,” Nataku opened another tab, “This is the best university I can find for maritime studies. It’s so far away, on the other side of the world.”

“Really? How far?” Goku asked.

“As far as I know, there’s no direct flights from here. I think it takes more than a day to get there, and believe me the admission fee was really out of the league.”

Goku thought for a second. “Is this the university ya wanna try next week?” He finally asked. Nataku lowered his head slowly, “Yeah.” 

Goku moved his gaze from his brother to the laptop. _Gaiden University,_ the brunette took note of the name once again. “Well, we both have savings. Let’s try ta count it tomorrow and see if we can make it, ‘kay?” Goku patted his brother’s head and smiled. He then stood up and went to the kitchen. Nataku went silent as his eyes followed his big brother’s movements. It was not long before Goku walked back to him, mug in hand. “I know ya studyin’ hard for it, but don’t forget ta rest well too, ‘kay?” He put down the glass near Nataku before heading to his own room.

After the brunette disappeared behind the door, Nataku looked at the mug. It was their favorite drink, hot cocoa. He smirked before continuing the video he was watching before.

* * *

The sun had not yet risen, but Goku was already sweating a lot. With strong feet and strong hands, he walked backwards in the mud, scraping the salt land with a garden fork. The work was hard, but it kept him sober as he thought of ways to gain more money for Nataku.

His little brother was a hardworking kid, very much like himself, only it was in studying. It made him proud that Nataku wanted to pursue his study with his own will. It’s not that Goku did not want to pursue his education, but the brunette was aware that he himself was not cut for it. His own body was designed to do labor work, he thought, and he already made money out of it for years. Seeing Nataku’s passion in education since elementary school made Goku decide that he would work harder so his little brother could concentrate on the study and fully bloom into the best version of himself, and a better man than Goku could ever be.

Before sleeping the day before, Goku searched for the admission fee and also the exam fee of Gaiden University. Of course, it was actually Nataku’s first choice. Goku was quite upset the more he thought that their state of wealth was what hindered Nataku to dream. Goku counted all his savings and it was actually more than enough, but just for the exam fee. He would have to think further if Nataku passed the exam. His bright little brother probably had thought about that too, hence the hesitance. Well, that was a problem for later, the brunette decided. His mind was now thinking on how to pay the exam fee that day. Nataku said something about visas and mastercards which he was clueless about...

“-ku!”

Goku felt a rock landed hard on his right shoulder.

“Goku!”

Goku looked up to see a beautiful blond man standing at an edge of the land he was plowing. His own golden eyes were blank and his mouth was slightly open. Not getting any response, his guest shouted again, “What are you doing, moron?” The blond man threw another hardened soil at him. It landed perfectly on Goku’s forehead.

“Ouch,” Goku snapped and touched his forehead. After shaking his head a bit, the salt farmer looked up to his guest again, and there were sparks on the golden eyes this time. “Sanzo!” A wide smile crept up to his face. “Can ya wait in the house? I’ll finish this quick.”

Genjo snorted, but then he walked to the stilt house as Goku asked.

The salt farmer finished plowing the land in a few minutes and then he washed his hands and feet from the water tap in the garden. Genjo was sitting at the edge of the floor facing the salt farming land when Goku went inside the small bamboo house from the door behind him.

“Goku, what are you-” Genjo turned his head to see Goku when suddenly the brunette took off his shorts. Genjo gasped, “What the fuck are you doing?” His pale face turned bright pink.

Goku looked at Genjo and answered, “Oh, I was gonna change, it’s all dirty and soaked,” his face innocent. Genjo quickly shifted his head towards the land, hiding the blush.

The sun had just fully risen, though it was still low. The blond man turned his head when Goku plopped beside him. There were still signs of distress in the handsome youthful face he noticed earlier, making the scowl from the older man deepen.

“Sanzo,” Goku leaned his body forward and rested his head on his hands, “What job ya think will give me big money in a short time?”

Genjo did not expect that one bit, “What are you talking about?”

“I need ‘em, the money,” Goku answered briefly.

“For what?”

“My little brother.”

Genjo’s mind traveled back to their first encounter and remembered both the blond teen and the blond ponytailed woman. “The boy with the blond hair?”

Goku’s golden eyes widened a bit as he looked up to the blond man, “Right, ya seen him before.” His eyes softened as he continued, “Yeah, it’s for Nataku. He wanna study ‘Earth an’ Marine Sciences’ an’ there are three univs he wanna apply to. He wanna take the entrance exam for his first choice next week, but even if he succeeds, we don’ have the money ta get him there.”

Goku brought his legs closer and hugged them, “He’s such a smart and strong willed kid. I just want him ta be able ta do what he wants. He... deserves that.”

Genjo stared at the depth of golden eyes, “What university?”

“The name’s Gaiden University, if ya know,” Goku answered.

Genjo’s eyebrows shot up, “You sure? That’s one of the top tier universities in the world. No wonder the fee’s damn high.”

“I know,” Goku sighed. “My savings only enough for the exam. Even if I didn’ use ‘em ta build this house, it’s still not enough to pay the admission fee.”

Goku turned his body towards Genjo and took a pale hand, “Please Sanzo, do ya know where I can get big money?”

Genjo’s mind instantly went to his own savings, plus the money he inherited from his late father. He did not have a clue how much did the salt farmer need, but he could always be the last resort. But wait... The blond man blinked a few times after thinking about it. Why did he think of lending his own damn money in the first place?

Putting that aside, he was also not certain that the so-called young prodigy could pass the exam. He had a few _smart_ friends who tried and failed. “He should just take the entrance exam first,” the blond man finally replied.

Goku’s pleading expression slowly turned into a dumb-founded one. “About that, do ya know what a visa an’ mastercard is?”

Genjo raised an eyebrow, “You mean credit cards?”

Goku touched his chin with his forefinger, “Umm, I dunno, but I hafta pay the exam fee with that.”

The brunette was talking big about how to get big money for the admission fee but he did not have a clue how to pay them? Genjo thought. He sighed heavily, “I assume you don’t have them.”

The young man scratched the back of his head and answered shyly, “Guess I don’t. Ya have ‘em? How can I make one?”

“When will you need it?” Genjo asked.

“The deadline ta apply for the exam’s today, can we make it?” Goku said with glimmering eyes.

“Damn, I don’t think so. Haven’t seen any banks around here.” Genjo thought for a while before saying, “Use mine first, you can pay me later.”

“What? Really?” Goku’s youthful cheeks went up as a wide smile took place.

Suddenly, there was loud music and buzzing sounds coming from inside the house. “Uh, oh, better answer that first,” Goku said while he stood up.

“Hakkai! ’sup?” Goku answered the call. Genjo stood up as well. He took the chance to look the youthful face closely while the brunette conversed with Hakkai, “What, really? When, now? ‘Kay I’ll go meet ‘im, thanks!”

Goku ended the call and rushed towards Genjo with exploding enthusiasm, “Sanzo!! Guess what! Someone’s interested in buyin’ the land and he’s comin’ now.”

“And what’s the meaning of that?” Genjo asked.

“If he’s into salt farmin’, then I can still have this job. It’s better when the owner wants ta chip in and help us with the business too,” Goku beamed, “Is it okay if I meet ‘im first? Then we can go ta my house and apply for the exam.”

It was not like Genjo had any other business to attend to that day. “Do whatever you want.”

“Great, you’re the best, Sanzo!” Goku suddenly tiptoed and kissed the pale cheek of the taller man. Then, he rushed down to the front of the stilt house to greet the land’s prospective owner, leaving a stunned Genjo behind.

When Genjo finally gathered himself and saw Gojyo arrive with the prospective owner of the land, he just knew he would not like this all-black man one bit.


	7. Somehow, Genjo got involved with everything

“Kenyuu’s a great guy, isn’t he?” Both of Goku’s hands rested on his head while both men walked up the full-of-potholes street to the brunette’s house.

“Tch, great guy my ass,” Genjo blew a smoke to the side and noticed that almost all the small houses on that street had damages. His mind automatically went to the big earthquake from a year ago. He did feel the earthquake even though he lived quite far, about three hours by car. The epicentrum was said to be near Amed area, but he never imagined it would affect the area that far. It also did not look like the local people tried to fix those damages at all.

“Why?” Goku turned his head to look at him, golden eyes brightly reflecting the glimmer of the sun. “He’s real interested in salt. He even said he’s into the business as well!”

Genjo shrugged, “Don’t know. I just don’t like him.” And he was not alone. Gojyo was there with him that morning when Goku showed the salt farming land to the all black guy. Surprisingly, the red haired man shared his suspicion towards the black guy.

“I tell you, that guy gives me the creeps,” Gojyo lit a cigarette and leaned on the floor of the stilt house.

“No shit,” Genjo joined him and lit a cigarette himself. “Where did you find him?”

“ _He_ found _us_ ,” Gojyo corrected, “I was just hanging out in Hakkai’s office when he came in. Don’t have a fucking clue how it came to this.”

“So you don’t have anything on him?” Genjo asked.

“Hakkai’s doing his shit at the moment, and so will I,” the red haired man said with determination.

Genjo blew a smoke, “You better.”

When the redhead was gone, Genjo focused his attention to the suspicious potential land buyer. He really could not sit with the sly face of the particular black haired man. This person who introduced himself as Ken’yuu Ukoku wore a ridiculously all black outfit in the heat, black shirt, black shorts, and black framed glasses. In addition to the outfit, Genjo was way more concerned with the attitude. Ken’yuu held his head high and looked down on everything, literally. When they introduced themselves, Genjo could also see the hideous desire from the depths of those black eyes.

Genjo came back to the present and snorted. “There’s definitely something up with him,” he said to Goku.

Goku touched his chin and frowned, “Somethin’ up? Whaddya mean?”

Genjo turned his head to look at the brunette. It did not occur to him before that Goku had a cute face when he tried to think at all. Genjo walked closer and ruffled those warm brown locks without thinking, “Don’t use that little brain of yours for this shit.”

Funny, the action seemed so familiar to Goku he just let the blond man do it while he looked up at the violet eyes. “Hey, ‘m not stupid, yaknow?” He said with a pout. There was some glinting gaze from the blond man which made his belly stir.

“Oh, Goku,” came a voice from a woman. Both men looked in the direction of the voice. It was the same woman Genjo saw when he first met Goku, the twin low-ponytailed blond woman. She watered the street with a bucket of water.

“Rinrei!” Goku chuckled, “Is Nataku inside?”

Rinrei smiled, “Yes, we just finished. Come on in.”

Goku gestured to Genjo to follow him inside the housing area. After passing through the chest-height wooden fence, there was a small storage building on their left. Genjo saw a slender black haired man with boxes of salt around him. Goku took a short detour to the man, “Homura, how’s the sortin’ process goin’?”

Homura lifted his head to see his guests. Noticing the new guest, Homura nodded to Genjo and his gaze went back to the salt. “Just fine,” he answered briefly.

“Nice,” Goku chuckled before continuing, “We uh, gonna go inside first, then.” Goku did not prolong the conversation and walked towards a small house nearby. Genjo got closer and whispered, “He’s sorting salt? You do those shit manually?”

“Yep, Homura’s a salt farmer too actually, his land’s not that far from ours, but far smaller. And when he’s not farmin’, he sorts the salt. I do that too sometimes, but it’s soooo boring I can’t stand it. I give my salt for ‘im to sort,” Goku jerked his thumb towards Homura. Genjo smirked, he could not even imagine Goku sorting salt all day, with all that energy and enthusiasm. But still, to do the sorting process manually. Well, no shit the business was running at a very slow pace.

Goku stopped when a blond man in his teenage years came out from the house, followed by Rinrei. Recognizing the teen who should be Goku’s younger brother, Genjo stopped as well. Looking this close, he could not believe how different this teen was from Goku. Contrast to Goku’s tanned skin, brown hair and golden eyes, the little brother had rather pale skin, pale blond hair which reminded him of his own late father’s, and deep purple eyes. Honestly, Nataku looked so much similar to Genjo himself rather than to Goku.

“Nataku, I wantcha ta meet Sanzo,” Goku said enthusiastically.

Those deep purple eyes of the teen went up to meet him, “Oh, so this is Sanzo? You’re older than I thought.” A smirk formed on the teen’s lips.

Genjo felt the veins on his temple popped and he struggled to contain his anger when he replied with gritted teeth, “Watch your mouth, brat.”

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” Goku put his palm on Genjo’s chest, just below his thumping heart. “Sanzo, this is Nataku.”

“Yeah whatever,” Nataku walked past them towards the front gate.

“Nataku, wait, I gotta tell ya somethin’,” Goku joined Nataku in a second while blurting about the plan.

When Genjo was about to follow them, he heard Rinrei’s voice, “Please understand him.” Genjo turned his head back to see the twin-ponytailed woman once again. “He grew up with no parents. We can’t really blame him for his attitude. But in terms of studying, he’s strong willed and hard working.”

Genjo was used to watching people keenly. He knew from a glance that the brat was observant and smart, even though he still did not accept being charged with being old. The honesty of the woman also confirmed his hunch about Nataku having a good heart deep inside, just like Goku. Genjo bowed a little to Rinrei, as an acknowledgement of her statement and also as a parting salutation, before taking his leave to catch his companions.

Genjo caught them up at the entrance of their house. Contrast to the other houses, theirs was immaculately clean and good as new, though smaller than most houses. To his surprise, the siblings were both quiet as Goku searched for the keys and opened the front door. “Make yourself at home,” Goku finally said when they were all inside the house. The brunette went to the kitchen on Genjo’s left while Nataku went to the desk at the corner on his right. Genjo stood for a moment, adapting himself to the new environment.

The house was indeed small. The living room and kitchen was about the size of the stilt house back at the salt farming land, about 20 square meters at maximum. There was a table with four chairs at the center of the living room, packages of salt piling messily on top of it. Genjo decided to walk to the side of the room Nataku was in. There were quite a lot of books on the old book rack behind Nataku’s desk, which piqued his interest. Genjo skimmed the title of the books from the top shelf. They were all about the ocean, marine life, animals undersea, and the likes. The second shelf consisted more of geographical books, world map, and a lot of dictionaries. The lower shelves were quite messy with the jumbled books. There were the usual high school and university material books, some comic books, novels, and other non-fictions.

Genjo was actually quite amazed to see the book collection. “Where did you buy all these?” He asked without looking. He heard a rustle from the desk as the teen shifted his body, “Didn’t spend any money, free stuff’s the best.”

Genjo jerked his head and found a smirk on the teen’s face. “All second hand books?”

“The most important thing is they’re still good,” Nataku stood up and went near the book rack. He pointed at the top shelf as he explained, “Some dude from the town gave me these. He has an awesome collection of books.” There were sparkles in those deep purple eyes, the same ones Genjo found in Goku’s golden eyes. Well, that was something the siblings have in common. “These craps, I begged from my seniors or teachers,” Nataku narrowed his eyes when he looked at the lower shelves, “But at least they helped me pass the national exams.”

Genjo smirked at the thought of Nataku begging someone else for books. “Not bad,” he scoffed.

“Sanzo, Nataku,” Goku’s cheerful voice made both blond men turn around. Goku offered them both a mug of cold chocolate. They took their respective mugs at the same time before Goku went back to take his own. “Chocolate as always,” Nataku chuckled before sitting on the desk.

They all spent the next hour on finishing Nataku’s application process. There were some documents Goku and Nataku had to search around the house for some needed credentials. It was after a good fifty minutes before they finally reached the payment part. The price was a little higher than Genjo first thought, but seeing the determined faces from the brothers, he proceeded to pay with his credit card.

Just after the payment was finished, Goku’s phone rang, and the brunette went to the kitchen to answer the phone. Nataku’s hands were still in place and his eyes were kind of blank. It must be quite overwhelming for the teen, Genjo thought. It was not that easy to accept when you get what you want after giving it up. “Good luck, kid,” he decided to leave the teen for some alone time.

The blond man went outside the house and lit up a cigarette. He leaned on the wall and looked up to the blue sky. It was already late in the afternoon and the blue sky had turned some shade darker, perfect for those bare violet eyes to see. He was in the middle of blowing a smoke when Nataku came out.

The deep purple eyes went wide seeing the cigarette. “You smoke?” There was disbelief in the voice.

“You got a problem?” Genjo took a long drag on his cigarette.

Nataku shook his head, “Instead, will ya let me try one?”

Genjo raised an eyebrow and looked down at the teen. Finding pure curiosity in the teen’s eyes, he sighed, “Do whatever you want.” He shook the pack and offered it to Nataku. The teen took one cigarette and stuck it between his lips. Genjo then took his lighter and helped the teen light the cigarette.

Nataku inhaled deeply with his mouth. Once the rough smoke went past his throat, the teen felt choked and he coughed by instinct. After a few moments which felt like forever, he tried to inhale again. Not as deep this time, but with no better luck. Nataku coughed again and tears started coming out from his eyes this time. “Fuck, how come adults are so addicted to this shit?” Nataku said between coughs.

Witnessing the whole event, Genjo smirked, “It is an _adult’s_ shit.”

Nataku’s cough finally ceased. “Definitely not for me,” he stubbed the cigarette out and threw it to the bin. He then leaned beside Genjo and both men went silent as they stared up at the sky.

Nataku broke the silence first, “Hey, um, I’m sorry about my insult before, and thanks, for helping me out.”

“You better make it worth it,” Genjo answered. Before Nataku could reply, he continued, “By the way, the internet sucks here. You better find some other place with better connection.”

Nataku shifted his head to look at the older man. The vital thing had not come to his mind so far, and he was grateful that he was reminded of it. “Yeah, you’re right,” he fully agreed.

“Sanzo! Nataku!” Goku rushed out from the house, “S’rry that took a while!”

“About fucking time,” Genjo finished his cigarette and threw it in the bin. “See you around, kid,” he raised a hand and walked to the front gate. Goku followed him and waved at his little brother, “See ya, Nataku.”

Goku caught up with the blond man shortly. “I still can’t believe Nataku’s joinin’ the exam for real next week,” he said with a huge satisfied smile in place. “I aaalways wanted him to study properly. Ya know there’s this old guy, Li Touten. He’s been askin’ Nataku to come with him since forever.”

Genjo looked at the brunette at his side, “Come with him?”

“Yeah, ta work in his company, somethin’ about management trainee or some sort. Quick money and quick career, Nataku said. But he’s planned far beyond that, and he said he’s gonna need the education for it.”

“That’s good,” Genjo nodded in agreement, “Although becoming a management trainee seemed prestigious, it’ll be better if he is equipped with education. He’s still very young too.”

“Right?” Goku’s golden eyes shone brightly, “Today’s really the best. Nataku’s enterin’ his exam and Kenyuu’s interested in the land. The best!”

Genjo’s expression changed when he heard the name Ken’yuu from the brunette’s lips. “Goku,” he said with a firm voice.

The brunette looked up to meet his violet eyes, “Hm? What is it?”

“About Ken’yuu, you sure about him?”

“This again? What’s with ya and him?” Confusion filled the handsome young face.

Genjo sighed, “I don’t like him. There’s just something about him, like he’s hiding something.”

“Hidin’ somethin’?” Goku raised an eyebrow, “He seems like a really nice guy ta me.”

Genjo snorted. “Of course, he _seemed_ nice,” Genjo emphasized the word for Goku as a sarcasm, but then he realized that the brunette probably did not get it. Goku obviously fell into the good innocent people spectrum. Genjo could not understand why it was so hard for Goku to see it. Or maybe he needed a new owner so bad that he was blinded by the weird aura Ken’yuu had. Even Gojyo and Hakkai got suspicious immediately with the all-black guy.

Upon seeing the hotel he was staying, Genjo turned his head to look at his companion. Goku seemed so deep in thought and it bothered the blond man, a lot. The expression totally did not fit the overflowing energetic personality of the salt farmer. He ruffled the brown locks for the second time that day, “I’ve told you to not think too much with that small brain.”

“Hey, my brain’s not small!” Goku pouted, but he let the pale hand linger on top of his head, again.

Genjo smirked, “Better use it up for more important things.”

“The land’s important, ya know,” Goku said in a lower voice, “If Kenyuu’s hidin’ somethin’ like ya said, it’ll be bad.”

“That’s true,” Genjo glanced at the brunette. “You better find out more about him, too naive and it’s your loss. But you’ll get the hang of it,” he said while patting Goku’s shoulder.

Goku regained his smile back at the encouragement, “Yeah, will do!”

* * *

“Any news?” Genjo asked the waiter who brought him his beer.

Gojyo smirked at the question, “Big one. Wait, I’ll finish my shift in ten.”

About fifteen minutes later, Gojyo plopped down at the chair opposite to Genjo at the round table, beer in hand. “‘Tis good to be a customer again,” he gulped the beer down.

Genjo crossed his arms and waited for the redhead to finish. “So?” He asked after Gojyo put the pint glass down on the table.

“You’re really not one for chit chat, are you?” Gojyo narrowed his eyes and smirked, but then he leaned his body forward. “No one ever saw that bastard here. I had to ask my girls from town for information.”

Genjo raised an eyebrow, “And?”

“They said he’s the son of a big FMCG company, and rumors said he was obsessed with technology,” Gojyo leaned back on his seat.

“Technology?” Genjo’s face became serious, “What kind?”

“Well, I’m no fucking expert in technology so I don’t know, some automation shit probably? They just said technology,” Gojyo shrugged.

Genjo frowned. It did not make any sense. If Ken’yuu’s into technology, then why did he look up to Amed salt? The whole Amed salt farming process was manual and a part of heritage which had nothing to do with technology so far. The salt farmers like Goku looked like they wanted to preserve the tradition...

“Fuck,” Genjo’s eyes went wide at a realization, “He must have planned to automate the salt farming process.”

“What do you mean?” Gojyo asked, “There’s no way we gonna change the process of salt farming, you know.”

“That’s exactly it,” Genjo looked up to stare at the red eyes, “He _has to_ buy the land to be able to have control of the business process.”

Gojyo was silent for some moment, before finally clicking on it. “Hell, it won’t be Amed salt no more if that shit happens.”

“Yes, the specialty lies in the natural heritage whatever shit you all told me,” Genjo snorted.

Gojyo’s face was suddenly filled with worry, “Dude, we gotta stop him.”

“How? I don’t know shits here,” Genjo answered.

Well, that actually made sense. Gojyo scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something. “Me neither,” he thought harder and his mind instantly went to the brunette with a monocle, “Oh, Hakkai knows. We must tell Hakkai.”

“Good idea. Is he free now?” Genjo asked.

“Jeez, I don’t mean now, dude. He got lots of things to do, but I’ll ask if he has time tomorrow,” Gojyo answered before fetching his phone and started typing. “But you sure are pumped about all this,” he smirked while typing.

“Fuck you,” Genjo snorted and opened another can of beer.

Gojyo chuckled, “Chill man. I’m glad you do, you know.” A genuine smile formed on the redhead’s face.

“Look who’s here,” Genjo heard the all too familiar voice from his coworker again. Sharak slammed her hand to the table and tilted her head at Gojyo’s direction, “Now, now, Genjo, I’m shocked to see you befriended Gojyo.”

Genjo hmphed, “Not his friend.”

Sharak shifted his head to look at her coworker, “Then why are you together?”

“He’s my informant,” Genjo gulped his beer down.

“Damn, you cut deep, dude,” Gojyo laughed hard. He finished sending the text and pocketed his phone back. “Be our guest, my pretty lady,” Gojyo gestured to the vacant seat and Sharak sat down between them.

“So watcha talking about?” Sharak lit up a cigarette.

That first conversation with Hakkai suddenly popped up in Genjo’s mind, particularly about Sharak and Hassan eyeing Goku’s land. “Sharak, you’re planning to buy Goku’s land, right?”

“Well, still thinkin’ about it,” Sharak answered. “Goku asked me and Hassan about it for some time now, and we’ve been saving for that actually. We can buy half of the land now, and I hope the owner will let me buy it.”

If Sharak bought the land, then the whole problem would be solved. Genjo would not let the chance pass by, “Can’t you buy the whole land?”

“The land’s not cheap, you know, I can only buy it as a whole in a few years probably,” Sharak answered honestly.

Before Genjo could reply, Gojyo suddenly leaned his body forward. “You think we should tell her?” Gojyo half whispered. The blond man thought for a second and found no harm in it, so he nodded in agreement. Then they proceeded to tell Sharak what happened.

After they finished, Sharak lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it. “Ken’yuu Ukoku, you say?” was Sharak’s first response.

“You know him?” Genjo raised an eyebrow.

“Of course, the damn jerk’s the only child of the owner of a wealthy FMCG company. He’s given power over the technology development a few years ago. I heard he’s done wild experiments and some people were dead because of it.”

“Fuck,” Genjo said between gritted teeth.

“He’s gonna fucking change the whole salt farming process if he buys the land, that's for sure,” Sharak finished her comment with concern, “We mustn’t let it fall to his hands.”

“Glad we’re on the same side,” Gojyo grinned.

Sharak tapped the ash of her cigarette and then took another long drag from it. “I’ll talk to Hakkai tomorrow,” she said.

“I’ll join you,” Genjo answered quickly.

“Ho~ That’s new. You’re really into this, aren’t you Genjo?” Sharak smirked.

Gojyo bursted into laughter, “See! I fucking told you that you’re too excited for this!”

“Fuck you both,” Genjo cursed his companions before finishing his last can of beer.


	8. At last, a time with the busy chief

It was still early in the morning and there was already the sound of heavy breathing on the steep road. The blond man was sweating hard and his shirt was already soaked. _Fucking slopes,_ Genjo cursed inwardly. He raised his head and finally saw the high bamboo fence which belonged to Sharak’s villa. The place was not that far from the beach, he only walked for about twenty minutes, but the ground where he stood had quite an altitude. The topography of the area was definitely unique, with the sea and mountain so close. Genjo looked back and he could see the sea and even Goku’s farming land clearly.

After his breathing steadied, Genjo searched for the front gate and went in. A relaxing yet firm stilt building from wood and bamboo stood across the green garden. On his right side was a small clear pool, which was connected to the half outdoor kitchen slash dining place by a wooden slope. Hassan was already in the dining place, waving to the blond man to come join him. Genjo waved back, and then he took his time walking through the garden, enjoying the morning breeze beneath the shadows of the trees.

“Not bad,” he commented when he arrived.

“Of course, it’s always better when you build it yourself,” Hassan grinned and gave his guest one of the two big fresh young coconuts he was carrying. Genjo received his drink and both men sat down at the table.

“You build this yourself?” Genjo eyed the green coconut in his hands. Confusion crept up his head as the blond did not really know how to drink directly from the coconut.

“Yep, with the help of others too. Goku and Gojyo helped a lot in the construction, and Hakkai with the design,” Hassan answered while staring at Genjo’s strange movements towards the coconut. “Don’t tell me you never had coconuts here. You’ve been here for how long, almost two weeks, right?”

Genjo’s movement stopped abruptly. Caught red handed like that was definitely not his style. “For as long as I remember, it’s all about salt here. Don’t have fucking time for coconuts,” he snorted and finally realized that the coconut was already chopped on the top. He pulled the top of the coconut and put the straw in.

Hassan smirked. Working with Genjo for years told him that the blond man had too much pride to simply ask him how to drink coconuts. “Yeah you’re totally dragged into the salt thing, man. How’s Goku doing by the way?” Hassan teased with a smirk.

Genjo choked at the remark and his pale face suddenly colored with pink tints. Why the hell would Hassan ask him about Goku? Yet that question brought him back to his meetings with the young salt farmer. He did not know how, but he ended up meeting Goku every single day. Since he paid for Nataku’s exam almost a week ago, Goku told him that he did not want to interrupt his brother’s studies, so the young man tried his best to be out of the house as much as possible. It was probably an excuse, but it worked. Goku really spent his time showing Genjo around the village, inviting him to religious events, or just spending time together to talk. Genjo was also confused why he just went with all of those pain in the ass activities. He guessed he was just too bored to say no. Before the blond man had the chance to answer his coworker, there was suddenly a sound from a bicycle ring outside. Soon, the front gate was opened and Hakkai strode in with his vehicle.

“Is that Hakkai? About time,” Genjo heard Sharak’s voice from inside the house. The woman came out from the house and noticed the blond man in an instant. “Oh, Genjo, you’re here already? That’s rare,” her smug face evident. It was not a surprising response at all. Genjo was known at the office for his last minute attendance.

“He rides bicycle?” Genjo ignored Sharak’s comment.

“If not in Gojyo’s scooter,” Sharak plopped down beside Hassan and drank from her partner’s coconut.

“Sorry I’m late,” Hakkai apologized before sitting down at the table. “I’ll get you another coconut,” Hassan said while standing up. “That’d be delightful, thank you,” the brunette smiled.

“At last, Hakkai,” Sharak said, “We’ve been trying to get into your schedule for a week! Is your work that bad lately?”

Hakkai took a deep breath before answering, “Unfortunately, yes, the upcoming election really takes all my time. Thanks for waiting.”

Hassan came back with a coconut and gave it to Hakkai, who immediately sipped it. The brunette’s face turned slightly serious. His green eyes held a sharp gaze as he started, “So, I only heard the big picture from Gojyo, about Ken’yuu and his obsession with technology. Do you mind filling the gap for me?”

Genjo never liked it when Hakkai wore his fake smiles, but he totally appreciated the brunette’s candor. The blond man leaned forward and started telling Hakkai his last conversation with Sharak and Gojyo since there was no new significant information afterwards. Sharak and Hassan commented from time to time and they finished updating the government staff in fifteen minutes.

Hakkai leaned back and brought two fingers to his chin. “I see. So, to summarize, Ken’yuu may have plans to bring technology to Amed salt, and according to you, Sharak, this guy is known for problems his experiments have caused,” he frowned at the possibilities of those horrible experiments done in salt farming, towards his friends. “That sounds horrible,” Hakkai concluded.

“Yes,” Genjo answered too quickly. “You got plans?” Anxiousness showed up in his baritone voice.

“For Ken’yuu?” Hakkai tilted his head. “Unfortunately no, so far. But if you ask about the salt farming itself, yes. I already have long term plans for it, actually.” Green eyes wandered above as he spoke.

Sharak was the quicker one to answer this time, “What do you mean?”

Hakkai closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and starting to explain, “Well, one of the bottlenecks of salt farming is we can only do it in summer. The problem lies in the _soil_ , we need them and we can’t do anything when it rains, but finally, I found a way to resolve that! I have to _experiment_ to see if it works and I need money for it.” Hakkai sighed before he continued, “That’s why I was thrilled when Ken’yuu reached out and said he wants to buy the land and invest in the business.” He lowered his gaze as he spoke in a lower voice, “I should have known better.”

Although he was not satisfied with Hakkai’s answer, because the brunette could not come up with a plan for Ken’yuu just yet, Genjo was slightly relieved to hear the plans the chief had. At the very least, the business was not without goals. Well, that would all go to waste if they lost the land. “About the land,” Genjo pointed out, “What’s the latest update?”

Green eyes shot back up, “That’s the thing. Ken’yuu just sent me the nominal he’s willing to pay for the land this morning, and it’s outrageous.”

“Enough to buy the whole land?” Hassan asked.

Hakkai shook his head slowly, “He is willing to pay _twice_ the price of the whole land. There’s no way the owner says no.”

Three pairs of eyes widened at the revelation. Sharak had told Genjo the price of the whole land, and there was no way they could come up with twice that amount in a short time. “Fuck,” Genjo slammed his fist on his lap, “Has he spoke to the owner?”

A small smile formed in Hakkai’s face, “Any communication goes through me, so no. I will keep this information as long as I can.”

“Thank heavens,” Sharak sighed in relief.

“But,” Hakkai raised his hand while showing one of his polite smiles, “I’m not sure I can hold it for long. If Ken’yuu has that wide connections like you said, I believe he will contact the owner himself soon. I should probably talk it out with the owner before he does. Hazel’s quite a wise man and he appreciates salt farming to some extent. Thing is, he told me many times he needs the money quick...”

“He may give up the land for money, you mean,” Genjo’s scowl deepened.

“I’m afraid so,” Hakkai sighed. “I’ll try to talk to him while we think of a plan. Can I leave it to you guys to handle the plan? I’ll handle the owner.” The three looked to each other by instinct. They certainly did not have the grasp of the business, moreover creating a plan for it in crisis. Before they could speak up though, Hakkai spoke again, “I think you can discuss it with Gojyo and Goku, if you want to include the business in the plan. They both have a broad knowledge about it even if they mostly do daily operations. I believe they don’t want to give up the business without any fights.”

After a few seconds which felt like decades, Genjo closed his eyes and sighed. “Fine.”

That brought a sincere smile up the brunette’s face, “Great, thanks for the quick update. Don’t hesitate to call me if anything happens.” With that he stood up and walked towards his bicycle.

To Sharak’s and Hassan’s surprise, Genjo also stood up and followed him. When they reached Hakkai’s vehicle, Genjo finally spoke, “Hakkai.”

“Yes, what is it, Sanzo?” Hakkai, who noticed the uneasiness from the blond man, answered with a smile.

“You know the nearest place with a strong bandwidth?” Genjo avoided eye contact as he asked.

“You have some work that needs a strong internet? The signal here is atrocious indeed,” Hakkai pondered for a while. “You should go to Bunutan and find this yoga center named Satvika Healing Center. They have the fastest net as far as I know. You can ask Goku to show you where it is.”

“Alright, thanks,” Genjo answered.

“Sure, no problem,” Hakkai straightened his bicycle. “Oh, and you can borrow my car if you want. It’s one hour away by car and the road’s ascending.”

Violet eyes widened at the offer, “You sure about that?” He just met the brunette twice and this guy just offered to lend him his car like lending a pen.

“Of course, you’ve been helping a lot too. Just text me when you need it. I don’t use it much so I’m happy if somebody gets the car into life,” Hakkai’s face turned somewhat serious when he continued, “You drive, don’t you? Cause Goku doesn’t.”

“Yes,” Genjo answered promptly. The blond man thought about it and yeah, it was actually a good idea, “Okay, I’ll give you a call.” Hakkai smiled again and went out with his bicycle.

Genjo went back to where Sharak and Hassan were, his pale face troubled and irritated. “Don’t give me that look, Genjo,” Sharak said, “I don’t know shit about business.”

Genjo plopped down and searched for his cigarettes. He truly needed the nicotine. “Fuck if I know,” he grunted.

“Well, you’re the one who said ‘fine’. Maybe you should talk to Goku,” Sharak suggested with a grin.

That was actually what Genjo had in mind, but Goku had told him that day the salt farmer would be busy with one religious event where he took part in. As usual, he invited Genjo to the event as well, but Genjo thought it would not be wise to bring him the news that day. Besides, tomorrow would be Nataku’s exam day. If Goku went home weary, it would affect Nataku as well. He then decided he would just talk to Goku tomorrow. They would have a few hours to spend while waiting for Nataku to finish the exam.

“Yeah, tomorrow,” Genjo answered briefly. He just wanted to spend the time he had in the serene place before going to the temple where the religious event was held. Building a villa here, he remembered his late father’s wish. Maybe that was not such a bad idea after all.


	9. Nataku chased his dreams

“Wow, ya get Hakkai’s jeep?” Golden orbs gleamed when the young man saw the old green jeep. “Sweet!” Goku went to the passenger seat while his younger brother went into the back of the car. It was about 7 in the morning when Genjo picked them up. “Where to?” Genjo turned his head to his side. “Just go straight and we’ll get there,” Goku pointed ahead, to the road up the hill. Genjo turned on the side lamp and drove back to the road.

As expected, Goku found infinite topics to talk about throughout the trip. Genjo glanced at the rear view mirror every now and then and noticed that contradicting his brother, Nataku stayed silent along the way. “Oh, hey, there’s the buildin,” Goku directed his forefinger to a beige colored building behind the trees. Genjo turned the car to the lobby and stopped. “I’ll go in first and find us a room, ya can park ahead,” Goku hopped out of the car with a wide grin.

Hakkai’s prediction was deadly accurate, as the time showed precisely 8 o’clock right after Genjo pulled the handbrake. Before he turned the car off, the blond man looked back through the rear view mirror and found Nataku’s frown. “Hey kid,” Genjo twisted his body to face the backseat, “You nervous?”

Nataku jerked his head and glared back at him with fierce deep purple eyes. From this point of view, Genjo could also see the shivering hands. “Who doesn’t?” The teen’s voice had more irritation than usual.

Genjo smirked at that, “Good.”

Nataku’s eyebrows shot up with the response. “What?” He asked in confusion.

“You’ll be more alert, and that’s good,” Genjo turned his body back to face the front. “You’ll do fine, kid, you worked your ass off for this. Accepted or not, just make sure you did your best.” His violet eyes glanced at the rear view mirror once again, finding Nataku’s more relaxed face. Then, he turned off the car and got out. Soon, Nataku followed. They walked together in silence towards the lobby, but Genjo could feel the atmosphere from the teen had gone lighter.

“We get the best room!” Goku hopped towards their direction, behind him was a slender man with slanted eyes and silver hair in a bun. His long light blue gown gave a serene aura around him, and Genjo had a hunch that he was the owner of this place.

“Sanzo, meet Shien, he’s a yoga teacher and the owner of this center,” Goku said to Sanzo. Then he faced Shien and pointed his thumb towards Genjo, “Shien, this is Sanzo.”

Shien bowed a little and answered, “It’s my honor to welcome you here.” Then he looked at Nataku and continued, “Goku told me what you need and you’ve come to the right place. Let’s go upstairs where the internet connection is strongest.”

They all followed Shien along the corridor and to the second floor. Genjo glanced at the rooms they walked through. On the first floor were rooms for spa and massages and stuff, while the second floor was full of yoga classrooms, small ones for private classes and larger ones for big classes. Overall, it was a pretty nice place to chill.

They passed all the rooms on the second floor and reached the last room at the end of the corridor, where the slender man opened the door for them. The particular room was different from the others. It was small but very bright from the natural lighting, caused by the giant window facing east. There was a desk and a chair near the window, and beside them a bookcase which was full of plants rather than books. “This is my private room, but you can take your exam here, Nataku,” Shien said with a smile. Goku gaped as if it was the first time he saw the room, “Wow thanks, Shien! We owe you a lot.” Shien smiled and shook his head in elegance, “Don’t bother. I wish you the best, Nataku.” He bowed again before leaving them in the room.

Nataku started setting up his laptop on the table while Goku and Genjo went near the window, looking at the beautiful scenery outside.

“Who’s the guy again?” Genjo jerked his thumb towards the door.

“Shien. He’s a friend of Homura. Remember? Rinrei’s husband, who sorted salt when we went ta their house last week,” Goku answered.

“I see,” Genjo nodded and shifted his gaze towards the blond teen. “Hey kid, when’s the exam again?”

“In about an hour,” Nataku opened the exam’s website and logged in. “Great, it’s true. The signal’s fast here.” Goku had walked closer to Nataku and he was relieved seeing how fast the screen changed. The brunette tapped his little brother’s shoulder, “Okay Nataku, we’re gonna go downstairs and let ya focus.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Nataku smiled, albeit weakly.

As Goku opened the door, Genjo saw the laptop charger still inside the bag. “Hey, plug your laptop now. You don’t want to screw yourself running out of power in the middle of the test,” he said before going out of the room.

Nataku was startled but then quickly set his laptop to the electric source. After he was done with the power source, he sat down and exhaled. Goku, who looked at his brother the whole time, cheered the blond teen one last time. “Good luck, Nataku,” Goku said softly and he closed the door.

Genjo and Goku went down to the pool area and decided to chill at a small round table after buying some snacks and drinks. “They have a pool, not bad,” Genjo sat down and put the fries on the table. “They also have whirlpools inside,” Goku put two glasses of juice on the table. He plopped himself on the other chair and gazed at his blond partner, “Heya Sanzo? Thanks again, for helpin’ us, helpin’ Nataku.” The brunette’s smile was warm and soft.

Genjo crossed his arms. The entrance exam fee was not really that much, but it seemed that Goku really appreciated it. He was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer, before finally deciding to update Goku about the discussion with Hakkai.

Goku’s golden eyes widened when Genjo told him rumors about Ken’yuu, and about the price he was willing to pay for the salt farming land. “I… I can’t believe I trusted that bastard easily,” Goku admitted honestly. “You’re good at seeing people, or maybe I’m just too naive,” the brunette made a pout.

“You can be better,” Genjo’s eyes were focused on the pout, “but that’s not the point now. We have to make a plan to stop him. You have any ideas?”

“What, ta raise money?” Goku tilted his head towards the blond man, “I.. don’ think so. I’m not good at doing business, actually. Only good at labor work, doing the soil and salt. Ya know how bad our packaging is. We can’t really sell much cause we don’ really know how to do business. Hell there’s still tons of salt back in the storehouse.”

Genjo’s eyes shot up with the last sentence, “You still have _tons_ of salt? How many, exactly?”

“I dunno,” Goku shrugged, “A few tonnes, maybe?”

“Fuck, that’s a lot,” Genjo brought his finger to his chin, “We can sell them and make money.”

“But how? No one’s buyin’ anymore, not with the crappy packaging,” Goku let out a frustrated sigh.

That was obvious, Genjo thought, but hey, was he not a graphic designer? His purpose of working was designing things like logos, packaging and stuff. Genjo looked at the brunette sitting beside him. If he was to help, there was no turning back. He would rebrand the whole shit and make the best out of it, down to the printing and all, but that would lead him to a side job. Probably an intense one since the salt farmers didn’t know shit about it at all. He could do it while his vacation lasted, but what about after that? How would he balance his job with this new shit? Would he take the risk? Just for the sake of some salt farming business he came upon less than two weeks ago?

Genjo pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, unsure of where his train of thoughts would lead him to. “Goku,” he called.

The brunette had noticed by then that Genjo always called his name with that exact tone when he was to say something serious, and god it was sexy as hell he felt an exciting sensation on his lower abdomen. Goku had to focus his attention back before he answered, “Yes, Sanzo?” Then the beautiful violet gaze fell upon him, making Goku swallow.

“If I’m in deep shit and you can help,” Genjo paused and there were lines forming on his forehead, “Even though you might have to stop working for a while, will you help?”

“Of course,” Goku answered without a doubt, “Why wouldn’ I? You’re precious… friend.”

The wide honest grin really washed away his fears, and Genjo sighed at his loss. “I thought so,” he fetched his cell phone and called his coworkers. When Sharak answered, he turned the loudspeaker on. “Hey, you have time today? I need to talk to you, and Hassan too, for that matter.”

“Hmm, looks like you got a plan.” The smug tone was evident even in the call.

“Shut up,” Genjo half shouted, “Seriously, I’m gonna need you both.”

“It won’t hurt to give us some hints.”

Genjo looked at Goku when he answered, “We’re gonna pump the business and make money.”

They both heard Sharak hmphed, “Interesting. You’ll pay for dinner?”

Genjo rolled his eyes, “Whatever, talk to you later.” He ended the call and opened an application to take notes. “I’m gonna ask you some questions,” the blond man said while leaning back to his chair.

“Um, okay,” Goku’s wide eyes showed his confusion, but he still nodded.

For a few good hours, Genjo interviewed Goku about the whole salt farming thing. From the business, the process, to the history and legends about it. Goku ordered food half the way and by the time Genjo finished with his questions, Goku finished his meal too.

Well, he didn’t finish the sauce off, something that caught Genjo’s attention. Goku always finished his food clean, and before he could tease the salt farmer, Goku brought the issue first. “Ugh, the food’s bitter. Must be caused by the salt,” he commented.

Genjo took Goku’s spoon and tried the sauce. The mentioned food was actually good and Genjo couldn’t really taste the bitterness. “It’s not that bad, maybe it’s your tongue.” Unfortunately, Goku was too focused on the fact that Genjo used his spoon to eat. He didn't really listen to what the blond man was saying.

There was suddenly a small chuckle behind them. Both men turned around and saw Shien approaching, “Goku’s tongue is sensitive to taste, I give you that. I was amazed with the taste of the salt myself, but unfortunately the price’s too high for me. If you sell bath salts, I’d probably buy it.”

“S’rry, Shien,” Goku pressed his palms together, “Didn’t mean ta criticize ya.”

“No worries, we need the feedback too. I hope you guys still enjoy having time here despite the food,” Shien smiled before leaving them to check at other customers.

Genjo’s mind was thinking of other things as Goku chatted with the owner. Of course, they could use the salt to make other products, such as bath salts. He typed the idea down to his interview notes.

“Nataku!” Genjo heard Goku call his brother. The blond man turned his body around again, finding Nataku walking towards them with an unreadable expression.

“How’d it go?” Goku asked when Nataku took the chair beside his brother.

“Well, I don’t know. The test is definitely harder than I thought,” Nataku looked down as he answered.

“It’s okay, kid,” Genjo intercepted, “You tried your best, right?”

Nataku looked up and saw that same gaze Genjo gave him in the morning. His deep purple eyes softened and he smiled faintly, “Yeah.”

Goku ordered more food for them to eat before they went back home.

They almost arrived when Genjo saw a suspicious man at the front gate of the house. He had black shoulder length dreadlocks and wore a black robe. “Oh no, it’s poop head,” Goku leaned his body forward, “Stop here, Sanzo.” Genjo hit the brakes and saw a furious face behind the brown locks. He then glanced at the rear view mirror and found anxiety on Nataku’s face. The blond man then remembered what Goku told him, about a man who wanted to take Nataku to his company.

They all got out and Goku stood in front of Nataku, “Li Touten, what are you doing here?”

The old man turned to them, grinning at the blond teen, “Nataku! I heard you just finished your entrance exam for university.” He walked closer and Goku blocked him from his brother. “I hope it went well. Otherwise, you can always go to your preferred university if you go with me,” his sinister smile brought shivers down Nataku’s spine. But the teen answered him back, “I want to earn my way!”

The grin on Li Touten’s face only got wider, “You’ll earn the best way possible within my company. You get experience and education that you want to pursue as well. Just think about it, you only have a year left.” He stared at both brothers for a moment, before walking past them and went away.


End file.
